RTHK - naked Lunch: Cantonese learning podcast

RTHK, that’s for Radio Television Hong Kong, has a regular podcast to learn some Cantonese, unfortunately without a transscribt. The teacher is a Norwegian, but her Cantonese is pretty much perfect, as she stayed in Hongkong for a long time. Her lessons are entertaining, funny and easy to follow. Lot’s of repetition make it easier to stick things into Your brain.

Website: RTHK Learn Chinese podcast

Download site: http://podcast.rthk.org.hk/podcast/nakedlunch.xml

Learn Cantonese!

Another useful site with Cantonese words divided in several categories. Choose a topic and check the according category.

Website: http://www.cantonese.ca/

A Cantonese course

Some guys made a great effort to put together a great Cantonese learning resource. A page full of words, tests, quizzes and more. This page is pretty complete, as a forum as well as a dictionary is already included. Definitely worth a look if You are serious about learning Cantonese.

Website: http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/

Chinesepod Cantonese Forum

At the well known site Chinesepod, they also have a Cantonese Forum. Discussion is slow there due to the small amount of learners, but You might find some value in it.

Forum: Cantonese Forum at Chinesepod

Book: “Elementary Cantonese” (Vol 1: Lessons 1-10) by Sidney Lau

A book that has been recommended once in a while by Cantonese learners. I haven’t had a chance to grab one so far, but I want to do that soon. The book is fairly old and the texts should be a little out of date, the learning method presented is also not up to date, as I heard. If You need vocab and dialogs as.mp3, check the following place:

http://203.28.48.11/~cantones/

Book: “Colloquial Cantonese” by Keith S. T. Tong and Gregory James

A more modern book to learn. Some pages can be found online for free.

Book preview

FSI - Learn Chinese

The US government, the FSI to be exact (Foreign Service Institute), has created a nice Cantonese course… on paper. However the books is made public domain by now. You can download the pdf e-book, however the quality is pretty poor as it is just plain scans of the original paper book.

Website: http://fsi-language-courses.com/Cantonese.aspx

Some efforts have been made to recreate the whole work in a more readable way, that means retype the scans into real text:

http://fsi-language-courses.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=303

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cantonese/Lesson_2/Conversation

Cantonese quick reference

Need a quick reference on the most important things? look no further, all the basics are covered. Greetings, Numbers, Introduction, Slang, Transportation and Dim Sum.

Website: http://cantonese.ust.hk/qr/

Cantonese by Ms Cheung

Ms. Chenung wants people to learn some Cantonese, so she created a private website to learn it. The material is pretty practical, although there is not as much as in a full course.

Website: http://www.geocities.com/cantonesebymscheung/

Cantonese learning website with ebook download and sound files

Yet someone else is trying to teach You Cantonese. This one is special. You can download the material for free. If You like it, You are asked to pay a little money. A fair approach I think.

Website: http://www.clc.scicube.info/book/book.html

Stories is Cantonese: Cantostories

Your Cantonese level is already advanced? Listen to some stories in Cantonese, while also having a transscript and a translation at hand.

Website: http://cantostories.podbean.com/

Book: “Teach Yourself Cantonese” by Hugh Baker and Ho Pui-Kei

Beware there are at least two versions of this book, the older ones got some very bad reviews. Make sure to get a new one of this, which comes with a CD. With the new book You have quite a useful foundation to Your Cantonese learning.

Conclusion:

This list of Cantonese learning is by no means complete, but it should be enough material to get You started. Apart from that, I can recommend You to come to Hongkong and find a girlfriend here who speaks Cantonese. Your Cantonese will be on a functional level pretty quick. Now You got the material, it’s time for some learning methods. For the moment I direct You to my Putonghua Learning methods, but don’t worry: Most of the advice can be used on Cantonese, too.

If You know another valuable resource, leave a comment. I will review it and if it is good, I will add it in the above list.

Can You make money with Your personal blog? Some friends asked me this question, when I told them, that I put advertisements on my private blog. Honestly, it has been more of an experiment in the beginning. But let’s start in the very beginning, in the dark past, when I just got my first pentium 100Mhz computer. I got started with php, html, css and other dubious webtechnologies soon after getting my PC, when a friend regularly showed me his latest websites. In the beginning I wrote html only and was happy to bring some content of questionable usefullness online. However the time and money invested in these homepages (that’s the ancient word for blog) was quite big… taking in consideration the return was 0 (zero, nil, nada, nol, null, nichts, 没有, 零). After investing about 4 years I started my blog about my thoughts about China and started out with the notorious Adsense. Not very rewarding to be honest. Lately I’ve introduced sexy Friendfinder advertisments to my blog, also with limited reward. And now I found something new to become a rich person living in Hongkong:

PayPerPost

What is PayPerPost?

PayPerPost basically helps You to make money with Your personal Blog. How does it work? This post actually makes me money, 20 $US to be exact. Here is how it goes:

1. Have a blog, if You don’t have one, start one.
2. Apply at PayPerPost with Your personal blog to make money.
3. Once approved, You are presented offers to write texts or reviews about products or websites or other topics of interest.
4. You decide if a topic fits Your blog and then write a post about it. The other party might want to approve Your post before paying You.
5. If everything goes fine You make money with Your personal blog.

PayPerPost is my third attempt to make money online. The results are unknown so far as I’m just beginning with it, but it looks very promising so far, I am almost enthusiastic about it. I can write content I like, without plastering my blog with banners, animated GIFs, textlinks and other space wasters of limited use. I feel this less intrusive to the reader, it better fits my personal way and I have a good feeling that I actually earn something with PayPerPost. I’ll keep You updated on this matter.

This blogpost is one of these offers at PayPerPost. And I think it’s a fair way to earn money. First: coolness factor: I can rant about a topic and get paid for it. Second I have to pay my server bills and this is gonna cut it - even more cool. And third, who doesn’t like money. Ah yes, the Chinese prefer sex over money.

While looking out of the office window on Hongkong Island at Hennesy road I encountered some kind of party or protest, I’m not really sure what it was. So I went out of the office and took a closer look. Here is what I found: A lot of mostly friendly and happily looking people were walking the streets, shouting some slogans and holding placards. The usual jam of polluting cars had not even a slight chance of moving here, probably the police didn’t allow them to do so.

As my Chinese is not good enough, I could not decipher what they wanted. Yet I’m sure it was some kind of political thing.

After Hongkong became part of mainland China the economy went down. But that was not only because of the British leaving, but also because of the Asian crisis which happened around that time. After a few years of suffering the former British colony gained economical speed again and today it is healthy and wealthy. After a while I finally got something in English:

One person, one vote. Sounds like: Universal suffrage.

If You look closer You can see it has to do with RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong). They have a very nice learn Cantonese podcast, so I hope they are not threatened by anything and remain on the net. After a while I got bored, mostly because I didn’t understand the Chinese texts, I tried to find the hottest hotties around. I don’t know if these two are the hottest overall, but I do know, they were the hottest during the 5 minutes I observed the whole demonstration/party.

The hottest hottness I could find during 5 minutes of observation. And the only two who were dressed almost totally black.

Conclusion:

Hot girls are rare at the 1st of July protest/party, at least there are sweet girls who could potentially help You with Your Chinese. If the Chinese are wanted here or not is unknown. They probably didn’t ask. Get over it, accept that everything is belong to the Chinese.

Hongkong is wealthy, but how much money and bling bling is there really? Today I picked up a copy of The Standard (free HK newspaper that You get on the Street in English and Chinese) and there was an article about the wealth of Hongkong.

How many…?

Ah yes, how many Millionaires are there in Hongkong?

95000 Individuals have at least US$ 1 Million*

* This means, these 95000 persons have 1 Million US Dollars, NOT counting their main residence and also not counting their cars. (Source: The Standard print version)

There are about 7 million residents in Hongkong. So about 1 in 70 persons, or about 1.4% of all Hongkongers are Millionaires. If You stay in wealthy areas, like Hongkong Island in general, the percentage should rise dramatically. So if You want to hook up with a millionaire, Hongkong is one of the places to be.

How to become a millionaire in HK? The answer is easy: Get a job here, or bring Your money from overseas. Getting a job in Hongkong should be easy if You have some background in Economics. People coming from other backgrounds of education can also seek their chances in this fast paced city. If You already have graduated from university, Your starting salary will be no less than HK$10000, but it can be quite higher. With this salary You can get started in Hongkong. Just make sure You keep educating Yourself. A firm command of English is necessary in the business world of Hongkong, some Cantonese does help as well to make Your CV more appealing to the recruiters of top companies. But let’s get back to the rich people.

The report also said,the number of millionaires has increased by 10.2 percent since 2006. And it is likely to increase in the nearby future. Stay in Hongkong, maybe You can be the next millionaire in this city of money.

At the moment of writing this article the following exchange rates exist:

1 Hong Kong dollar = 0.128 U.S. dollars

1 U.S. dollar = 7.80 Hong Kong dollars

Live exchange rate

Some Cantonese learning sites

Take the Star Ferry from Wan Chai to TST and enjoy this great view of Hongkong island. All the important building lined up in nice row. The ferry on this route is 2.2 $HK.

Hongkongers like shopping. The side roads with all the shops are often very crowded and it’s difficult to find a way. Just follow the crowd and You are fine.

Even more people. Photo taken somewhere nearby Mongkok.

Wan Chai MTR station plattform short past midnight. Only few people go to Sheung Wan at that time. Reminds me of the movie Matrix.

I slowly find out about some nice places here in Hongkong to hang out. Lan Kwai Fong is to posh for me, but Wan Chai could be something for me. Yesterday evening  today morning I had been in a bar called 109, which features nice relaxed atmosphere. It is located just opposite of the Coyote bar/restaurant. There I had watched the match Holland Netherlands vs. Soviet Union Russia, Russia won. I’ll write a report once I find a bar I really like.

Reminds me to go to one of the secluded beaches of Hongkong. Hongkong has more than 100 beaches of different sizes, some of them pretty empty. You can have some fun and private time there, but also long beaches full of people are available to make new friends.Today afternoon, we had some hot and strong sunshine, so I headed over to Starbucks to get some warm Latte. Girls in Miniskirts and many people eating strawberry ice cream. On my way I decided to check the harbour if there is some yacht I’d like to have. (not that my purse would allow me to do so)

This boat is some hot toy! Almost as much fun as discovering something new about China or Asia.

A friend of me is working in an interpreting company in Kunming. She is basically sitting at the phone, and sometimes some customer calls and she has to translate from English to Chinese and vice versa.

So the last question in Greg’s interview is:

What is the strangest or most memorable call ChinaONEcall has received?

Greg tells something about someone organising a surprise party for his mom. BORING!

So here are two stories I got from my Kunming Lady, and these two are by far more interesting.

Your Peace is to expensive

My interpreter Lady received a call late at night. She was asked to help with some negotiations about drugs. The caller, an US native wanted to buy some Peace (marijuana) and got into the fight with the seller, because he thought it was to expensive. So he called the translation service. The convo was probably like this:

How much is this shit?

1000 Kuai a gram, bro

Damn shit, that’s way to much. Give me 10 gramms, 500yuan a gram and add in some of these fancy pills. By the way do You have some LSD. I want my life to be more colourful.

Can You pull that in Chinese? I still can’t, hopefully I can in some years.

How much for this hoe?

The other interesting call was, when yet another US native called the translation service during the late night. Do You see a pattern here? The call in question was directly from a Kunming brothel. He had problems telling the mama-san what kind of girl he wanted and also about the pricing model. The translations service, he thought, was a good address to help him out. Smart guy, they are all locals and know the local prices. The convo was probably like this:

Do You have one who is into Roleplay? I want to be a baby and can she be my mom?

Maybe he should have learned some Chinese or he should have tried some easier spots to pick up women. Probably he just was into hot looking professionals, who do all the crazy shit. (Nothing against some kinkiness. Play always should be fun)

Next time Greg, please, share some more interesting stories.

Lan Kwai Fong attracts hhuge masses of people. Often they don’t fit into all the bars there so the crowd parties on the street as well. Quite spectacular.

Lan Kwai Fong offers a real huge diversity of bars and party locations. A few are members only, but the majority is free for everyone. Music styles range from Latin /Salsa to House. Live Rock bands can be found as well and there is also a Hip Hop Place. Probably there is more and virtually any major party music style has a location here.

Drinks prices start around 50 $HK, and can go up quite a bit depending on what You order and in which bar You hang out. For the budget minded there is also a 7-eleven just around the corner. At Happy Hour from 6 to 9 pm Beer starts at around 30 $HK. What ever a thirsty soul demands, it can be probably found in LKF. I even found my Caipirinha which I was desperately searching in the bars of Kunming.

The party crowd is very diverse. Lot of Europeans and US people can be found here and also quite a lot of Chinese. Philipinas and Thai are a minority here if You look for such kind of women. Basically every nation has some people here and English is the language everyone speaks. Overall there is a fun atmosphere, although a little bit posh as there are many people who work in the tall office towers in the adjacent areas.

Getting to Lan Kwai Fong is easy. Just take the Subway to Central, exit there and follow the hip crowd. Lan Kwai Fong is a little up the hill from the subway station, a 5 minutes walk. Getting home in the night is a really simple task, as there are hundreds of taxis waiting for You.

Lan Kwai Fong is overcrowded at Friday and Saturday evenings, however during the week finding a chair there is no problem as it is a little bit empty then. But that doesn’t matter to much, just bring Your friends and start Your own party there. Everyone is communicative there and will want to join You. Have a great time in this party gem of Hongkong. Cheers

First Email: suggest a cool Chinese learning site

Second Email, quite different: Another useful Chinese website

Third email, and this title got You discovered guys: suggest a useful Chinese learning site

Whoever send this to me, no thank You. I will not review Your site on this blog, You won’t be on my blogroll and I won’t let You help me with my Chinese. I won’t even tell Your name, because You don’t deserve even that.

There are so many Chinese learning websites out there, the world doesn’t need more of them. Actually there is a really cool one called chinesepod. The other one a Chinese learner needs is chinese-tools. They have all the essential tools for learning Chinese, including the always necessary dictionary. Chinese-tools is just one of many tool collections. If You already have another one, then stick with that one. Apart from that there are other websites for learning, good ones. But nothing You really absolutely need. These others are more like supplementary ones. Look around what You can find, everyone has his own focus points. According to these focus points You should select Your additional learning pages.

The whole story reminds me of some other past story about people who are not able to read English.

Depending on what You are looking for here are some recommendations:

1.) The English corner

Exchanging language is a great way for cultural exchange. People from the West come here to hook up and make friends with Chinese. But don’t be blinded by the educational background of this place. English corners are a major point for hooking up. Western man often go there to find a Chinese woman. And the woman there are specifically looking for Western man. Basically this place is full of milkers.

I personally recommend the English corner which takes place every Thursday from 7pm to 10pm behind the Green Lake Hotel just next to the Green Lake. This one is the biggest and there is quite a selection of students, teachers and other women who have to learn English for their job. Most of them are not attached yet, so feel free to flirt.

At best You show up around 8pm, the place is full by that time. Talk to several people and check out which woman interests You. Then try to talk to her more privately. If everything goes right, ask her to go for a walk with You in the park (check out the park before to know where the romantic spots and quiet spots are).

2.) Wen Lin Jie

Wen Lin Jie is a street not far from Green Lake, maybe 5 minutes by foot. It’s a street with a lot of Western restaurants, at least the names are often Western. They serve some food they claim is European like, but I think it’s just bad. Apart from that a lot of Westerners, especially backpackers, hang around here. And there are also a lot of women here that just look for Westerners. Again a great spot to hook up. To give You some names to get started, check out: Halfway Housed and Speakeasy. Personally I don’t like this area of the city, but from what I heard, You can be pretty successful here.

3 .) Hump Bar

I’ve written about the Hump before, so I wont go into the details of this place. Read my article about the Hump to get the details. The open atmosphere really makes it easy to make new friends and contact new woman. Although most Chinese woman here come in groups, often with other Chinese males, it’s quite easy to make contact with them. Everyone is friendly here and You can just ask, if You can join their group. Once in a while You can find a Chinese woman who is alone here and she really just wants to be picked up. So be nice and chat her up.

4.) Chinese bars

Chinese bars are another way to find a lot of woman, however it can be quite difficult to find something there. Everyone in these bars wants to be Your friend, You are probably the only Laowai there this night, however for most of the ladies there You seem to be so out of this world. Basically You have a lot of value and they fear if You will stick around them so they are careful to hook up with You at this place. Be nice, talk nice, make friends, but don’t overact. Some place You could get started is the Ba Dian Ban Club, then any bar in Kundu is okay.

5.) Dating site

There are many dating sites to help You hook up with woman. One of the most popular methods is using AsianFriendFinder, simply because it has the most members and even in rural areas You something like a selection. You can find a lot of women there who are just looking for a man. In case You stay there only a short time, this kind of site is especially helpful to You. You can schedule dates with a hot woman before You even arrive. With a few emails You can check out if the character of the woman fits Your needs. Maybe You are looking for something long term, maybe for something short term. Most woman state in their profiles what they want, however from my own experience I can tell You, not all Woman who write they are looking for a marriage turn down other offers. If You have an interesting character then they might be up for some casual fooling around as well. If You want to plan ahead, AsianFriendFinder is the way to go.

Conclusion

I hope I gave You some ideas on finding a woman in Kunming. These ideas are also applicable in other Chinese cities as well. Find a woman, if You connect ask her for a number, then schedule a date. Many Chinese women in China are very open to Westerners, so if You are from somewhere outside Asia Your chances are quite well to have a great time in China. And a Chinese woman can help You with learning Chinese as well.