ChinesePod Turns Five!
suxiaoya
August 12, 2010 at 04:05 AM posted in General DiscussionChinesePod Turns Five!
On Sunday 5th September, it will be a full five years since the first ChinesePod podcast was published. Hooray!
Back in the earliest days, we were just five people, namely Jenny, Ken, one sound engineer, and a couple of tech staff. The studio was half of the size it is now, and it usually smelt like lunch.
Five years and hundreds of lessons later, we're all grown-up (the studios still smell like lunch though), and it's time to celebrate!
Celebratory Fun
Amongst other celebrations, we are planning to put together a little anniversary montage to showcase the people who have made ChinesePod what it is today; that is, our loyal users plus past and present members of the team.
Send Us Your Stories!
For this montage to work, we are calling on YOU to send us your ChinesePod stories and birthday messages in video, audio, text and/or photo form (even if that's a five-second unscripted video you shoot on your phone!)
Suggestions for your message content:
§ How far have you come with your studies since subscribing?
§ What does ChinesePod mean to you?
§ Share your funny or inspirational stories about learning Chinese
§ Share your funny or inspirational stories about using ChinesePod
§ What's your all-time favourite ChinesePod lesson?
§ "Happy Birthday!" (learn how to say Happy Birthday in Chinese here).
We encourage you use as much Chinese as you can in your messages! Let us see/hear all the Mandarin you have picked-up on ChinesePod over the years!
To get involved, please email us with your ChinesePod stories before Friday, 27th August. Video, photos, MP3 recordings or written accounts are all welcome.
Email: sarah.edson@chinesepod.com
Prize!!
We'll be giving away one of these awesome "smartpens" to the most creative or most entertaining message, so get cracking on your message without delay.
Note: we reserve the right to judge this completely subjectively!
谢谢大家!
Purrfecdizzo
February 23, 2011 at 04:28 PM
Congrats on five years... IMNSHO.. Although some things have gotton worse, more things have improved! I just have to have an open mind, and have patience in those areas that I think should improve, and be grateful for a program that is good overall! In the two-plus years I have been with Chinesepod, I feel I have learned alot. My current subscription will soon come to an end, but I think I will renew for another year! Chinesepod is the best site for learning Chinese I have found on the net so far. Anyhow, thanks for the hard work. George
jmtran
February 18, 2011 at 03:00 PM
Congrats guys! what a job since 5 years!
@Jenny: don't change...stay simple and..when you come in France, I'll be your french teacher then!
Cheers! Ta jia gan bei!
user40833
October 11, 2010 at 01:26 PM
Da jia, ni hao. Chinesepod, that's what I call a bang-up job. You're really great!
Zhu nimen shengri kuai le!
bababardwan
September 29, 2010 at 08:34 AM
Hey sorry I'm late on this but I've been away. A huge gongxi gongxi to Simon. I've just got back and listened to all on the blog and enjoyed them all so much. Have to say though that Simon's was in a class of his own and a well deserved winner. Thanks mate for the entertainment and always raising the bar. Cheers :)
henning
September 27, 2010 at 09:28 AM
I just prolonged my subscription for another year - the excellent "Construction" lesson was the final reminder. Hope to see you guys around for at least 5 more years because I don't see any chance that my thirst for new lessons will be quenched anytime soon. Congratulations!
(:
statisticool
September 26, 2010 at 02:29 PM
Great work. What more can be said other than "Keep it up!"
levke
September 15, 2010 at 07:51 PM
大家好！
祝你们生日快乐。I started to learn chinese with you guys 18 month ago and I'm amazed how far I got so far (comfortably into the intermediates without breaking a sweat and loads of fun on top). You really achieved quite something here. Keep it up.
Thanks for being there.
Cheers
Levke
longfei
September 15, 2010 at 02:47 AM
There is a website called Chinesepod
Ain't no better website this side of Novgorod,
From Jenny's cute voice
To John's Master's choice,
Even Hercules would rather learn Chinese than be a demi-god.
therapist
September 14, 2010 at 06:35 PM
I WISH AN OCEANFULL OF BEST WISHES ON THE OCCASSION OF 5 TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHINESE POD ON 5-9-2010. THE PODCASTS ARE HIGHLY EDUCATIVE. CHINESE POD 万岁。
Please note my new email ID: brao793@gmail.com
Regards, Therapist
tatjanadzambazova
September 14, 2010 at 06:25 PM
Happy Birthday!
You guys rock in so many ways, you dont take success for granted and always improve, add, innovate.
ChinesePod changed my life in many ways! it became my main companion during my travels, on the plane, on the train , while falling asleep (ok,ok, my boyfriend is not very cool with me mumbling chinese phrases while he is trying to fall asleep) or enjoying the sun! i am an avid mobile user of ChinesePod given that my work is mainly in front of computers and i wouldn't have had the patience of spending more time online, so many thanks for extending your service with mobile apps!
Thank you for your grand idea and superb execution.
eternal gratitude from a very loyal mobile Chinesepod nomad!
fayedreaming
September 14, 2010 at 09:33 AM
Congratulations ChinesePod!
Ever since a friend in Fuzhou said those fatal words "Hey, there's a great Chinese learning programme called ChinesePod that you'd like. It's funny and is real life in China", I have been addicted to the programme.
Yep, did the whole earphones in, standing, on the bus, practicing, keeping loads of people amused and amazing my Chinese friends with my modern Chinese expressions...
Now, sadly I only visit China but still love my forays into the language through ChinesePod.
Thanks again
Faye - Australia
eran
September 10, 2010 at 11:47 PM
Congratulations to the people at chinesepod on your anniversary and a huge thanks for all the work you do and dedication you have in making our Chinese learning a fun and extremely effective process.
I wish I had something like this back when I lived in China. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
Here's to another 5+ years.
darkstar94
September 09, 2010 at 04:29 AM
Happy Birthday!!!!! This is a great resource that has helped my Chinese improve so much, thanks guys for all the work you put into this website.
weibwo
September 09, 2010 at 02:17 AM
Thanks for a wonderful 5 years. My Mandarin would not be what it is without Chinesepod. I look forward to another 5 years. Congratulations! Weibwo in San Diego
maizels
September 09, 2010 at 12:34 AM
ve been going to Mandarin classes for several years and as the students dropped out my classes ceased . Chinese Pod has not only given me a continuity it has also made an enormous difference in my reading and when talking to Chinese people here in Australia recently arrived from the Mainland they all say my accent is very good and tht they actually can understand me when I am talking with them. Thank youfor being there
Susie Maizels Sydney Australia
wenrui
September 08, 2010 at 08:50 PM
I learned Chinese a long time ago as missionary for the LDS church and never thought I would find a way to keep up my Chinese as a busy mom. Thanks to Chinese Pod I have been able to keep up on my Chinese, especially since starting my guided membership with Crystal. I appreciate her so much especially as I am not always consistent with my studies and she has to be very patient with me! Congratulations ChinesePod!
askain
September 08, 2010 at 07:18 PM
Fifth Anniversary: felicitaciones por la dedicación que han mostrado para que nosotros los alumnos avancemos en ese importante idioma.
在这5年的奉献祝贺教学。
ALFRED
marchey
September 08, 2010 at 10:45 AM
I started evening classes in september 2005 and soon thereafter I disovered Chinesepod. I joined in the beginning of 2006. I have always been realistic about my ambition to learn Chinese giving myself 10 years to do it. I have given up on evening classes long ago relying totally on Chinesepod to provide me with realistic, up-to-date Chinese language. I have made a lot of progress since 2006 and it is all down to hard work and great lessons. I take credit for the hard work, but it would just not have been possible without you.
In the beginning I was very active in the community too, being involved with the forum and wiki. Of course, with the website platform that we have today, neither of these is still relevant. I am not involved that much anymore, just quietly studying in my corner. :-) A lot of people that were there in the beginning have left. But that is the way it is I suppose with a living community. Keep up the good work!
Marc in Belgium
user5737
September 08, 2010 at 10:22 AM
Gongxi, gongxi, I am extremely satisfied with ChinesePod and do recommend it to all, who are interested in learning f.ex. chinese. The lessons are up to date and very usefull and interesting, the quality and extens of the various parts of the lessons , such as vocabulary, expansions, exercises deng deng are challenging and learnsom. The dialogues are kept in a refreshing style with plesant remarks from both John ánd Jenny
As always I a looking forward to the next issue of ChinesePod
Robert/danmai
lilywhytelegs
September 08, 2010 at 01:03 AM
ChinesePod, 祝你生日快樂!! I have been a user since 2006 and have enjoyed all the lessons immensely. Through the years, I've gradually moved from basic to premium to guided membership. The guided plan has helped me improve substantially...thanks so much to Ellen! She has been very patient with this somewhat delinquent student! Cheers to another great 5(+) years!
BEBC
September 08, 2010 at 08:06 PM
Zut alors! If tu aren't French, zen do not wear zee onion-seller's teeshirt and zee twirly moustache. Cordon Bleu !
xiao_liang
September 08, 2010 at 07:29 PM
Je ne sais pas. Ou et le Frenchpod? Je suis un Chou-fleur, alors, la fenetre et la plume de ma tante. Petit!
bababardwan
September 07, 2010 at 03:32 PM
Sylvia
亲爱的ChinesePod,
你已经五岁了！ 在过去五年，我们一起那么开心，所以我最要说 “祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐”
Matthias,
祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐，祝你生日ChinesePod,
Amanda,
Happy Birthday to you,Happy Birthday to you
?
祝你生日快乐, 祝你生日快乐, 祝你生日快乐
Matthew,
中文播客，祝你生日快乐，你太棒了
？
祝你生日快乐，呵呵呵。。。Xiaoliang
Jenny,
大家好，我是Jenny from ChinesePod.我很高新we're finally five years old, which means I've got a lot older during the past 5 years.我想谢谢大家支持ChinesePod,..we couldn't have done it without you, the users. It might sound cliche but it's how I actually feel. So keep enjoying the lessons and hope to see you on ChinesePod. 再见。
Keith,
我什么时候首先开始了ChinesePod，我有黑色的头发。。现在看看我。祝你生日快乐ChinesePod
Hank Horkoff,
Hi, I'm Hank, co-founder of ChinesePod.I would just like to thank all the students and our staff over the past 5 years. Five years is a very very long time, and we've had a large number of crazy and interesting personalities that have both worked for us and visited at our site. Thankyou to you all.
Bweedin，
ChinesePod 好，我是Bweedin。我住在洛杉矶。谢谢你。谢谢你给我们很好的课文，很好玩的对话。恭喜你们。
Mark，
中文播客是我的学习中文的顶连就。。每次出差我都用中文。谢谢中文播客
Pretzellogic，
生日快乐ChinesePod，我是Pretzellogic。我要告诉你们；你们都做很好的工作。我觉得最好的中文课是“父母孩子吵架”： “你现在不努力，考不上大学，一辈子就完了“
Lili，
..and today we're going to talk about 离合字.right? no? 离合字，哈哈。。离 【Jenny： 离。。合。。字 】 ok..离合字..no I can't....ok,I'm just gonna do something else..
John Pasden,
Hey ChinesePod...Happy Birthday. It's hard to believe that you're already 5 years old. I've been here for almost all 5 of those years and we've made a lot of great lessons,we've made a lot of people happy..we've done lots of practical stuff but we've done lots of fun stuff and I think the fun stuff is what makes ChinesePod so special, what keeps people motivated, keeps them learning, and if I had to sum up 3 things which I think make ChinesePod lessons really special, those words would be: Ninja's, Godzilla and Alienabduction [that's one word ].
Simon Pettersson,
"这个Peter，我一定要好好教训他。喂，要你帮个忙”
“明白了。我们忍者办事。你放心“
”你不懂规矩。你自己觉得呢？“
”我才不怕你。喂。啊。忍者！”
“哈哈哈，哈哈哈”
Sylvia，
祝你生日亏啊了
bababardwan
September 08, 2010 at 10:54 AM
not at all. I thought it was very clear and I loved the way you ripped into the parent/child chaojia dialogue..zhen lihai. I haven't listened to that lesson before, but it's bookmarked now.
bababardwan
September 08, 2010 at 10:39 AM
bodawei,
ta, and no worries mate. Check your email in a tic.
bodawei
September 08, 2010 at 07:29 AM
Hi Baba
Thanks for the effort you went to here - good work.
I really have to admit that I am a country bumpkin now (我不再能掩盖保全面子), my Internet won't play it so I have to miss out. (Or I could fork out for the faster Internet option.) And I don't get to see your contribution - :(. Can you send it direct?
To ChinesePod - can these clips be put up separately or in a form that is slow-Internet friendly?
bababardwan
September 08, 2010 at 05:20 AM
ok, I've added pinyin and translation below:
Sylvia
亲爱的ChinesePod,
你已经五岁了！ 在过去五年，我们一起那么开心，所以我最要说 “祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐”
qīn'ài de ChinesePod,nǐ yǐjīng wǔ suì le! zài guòqù wǔ nián, wǒmen yīqǐ nàme kāixīn, suǒyǐ wǒ zuì yào shuō "zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè"
You are already 5 years old! In the past 5 years we have been so happy together, so I just want to say Happy Birthday!
Matthias,
祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐，祝你生日ChinesePod,
祝你生日快乐
zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè ,zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè ,zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè ChinesePod, zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè
Wish you Happy Birthday,Wish you Happy Birthday, Wish you Happy Birthday ChinesePod,Wish you Happy Birthday
Amanda,
Happy Birthday to you,Happy Birthday to you
?
祝你生日快乐, 祝你生日快乐, 祝你生日快乐
zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè ,zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè
Wish you Happy Birthday,Wish you Happy Birthday, Wish you Happy Birthday
Matthew,
中文播客，祝你生日快乐，你太棒了
Zhōngwén bōkè, zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, nǐ tài bàng le
ChinesePod, wish you Happy Birthday, you're great !
？
祝你生日快乐，呵呵呵。。。Xiaoliang
zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè,hehehe
Wish you Happy Birthday, hehehe
Jenny,
大家好，我是 [ dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì ...Hello everyone, I'm...] Jenny from ChinesePod.我很高兴 【 wǒ hěn gāoxìng ..I'm very happy ] we're finally five years old, which means I've got a lot older during the past 5 years.我想谢谢大家支持 [wǒ xiǎng xièxièdàjiā zhīchí ...I'd like to thank everyone for supporting...] ChinesePod,..we couldn't have done it without you, the users. It might sound cliche but it's how I actually feel. So keep enjoying the lessons and hope to see you on ChinesePod. 再见[zàijiàn...see you later]
Keith,
我什么时候首先开始了[ wǒ shénme shíhòu shǒuxiān kāishǐ le ..when I first started using ...] ChinesePod，我有黑色的头发 [wǒ yǒu hēisè de tóufa ...I had black hair]。。现在看看我 [xiànzài kànkan wǒ ...now look at me]。祝你生日快乐 [zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè...Wish you Happy Birthday] ChinesePod
Hank Horkoff,
Hi, I'm Hank, co-founder of ChinesePod.I would just like to thank all the students and our staff over the past 5 years. Five years is a very very long time, and we've had a large number of crazy and interesting personalities that have both worked for us and visited at our site. Thankyou to you all.
Bweedin，
ChinesePod 好，我是Bweedin。我住在洛杉矶。谢谢你。谢谢你给我们很好的课文，很好玩的对话。恭喜你们。
ChinesePod hǎo, wǒ shì Bweedin. wǒ zhù zài luòshānjī. xièxie nǐ. xièxie nǐ gěi wǒmen hěn hǎo de kèwén, hěn hǎowánde duìhuà. gōngxǐ nǐmen.
Hi ChinesePod, I'm Bweeding, I live in Los Angeles. Thankyou, thankyou for giving us very good lessons, very fun dialogues. Congratulations to you.
Mark，
中文播客是我的学习中文的定量就。。每次出差我都用中文。谢谢中文播客
Zhōngwén bōkè shì wǒ de xuéxí Zhōngwén de dìngliàng jiù.. měicì chūchāi wǒ dōu yòng Zhōngwén. xièxie Zhōngwén bōkè
Start with our lessons for Absolute Beginners, sign up for our iTunes feed, or subscribe for much more.
ChinesePod is my regular dose of studying Chinese. Every time I go on a business trip I entirely [only] use Chinese. Thankyou ChinesePod.
Pretzellogic，
生日快乐[zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè...Wish you Happy Birthday] ChinesePod，我是 [ wǒ shì..I'm] Pretzellogic。我要告诉你们；你们都做很好的工作。我觉得最好的中文课是“父母孩子吵架”： “你现在不努力，考不上大学，一辈子就完了“
wǒ yào gàosu nǐmen ；nǐmen dōu zuò hěn hǎo de gōngzuò. wǒ juéde zuì hǎo de zhōngwénkè shì "fùmǔ háizi chǎojià": "nǐ xiànzài bù nǔlì, kǎo bu shàng dàxué, yībèizi jiù wán le "
I want to tell you: you all do very good work. I think the best Chinese lesson is "parents child fight": If you don't work hard now, you won't get into university, and your whole life will be over.
Lili，
..and today we're going to talk about 离合字 [lí hé zì ..seperable verbs ] .right? no? 离合字，哈哈。。离 【Jenny： 离。。合。。字 】 ok..离合字..no I can't....ok,I'm just gonna do something else..
John Pasden,
Hey ChinesePod...Happy Birthday. It's hard to believe that you're already 5 years old. I've been here for almost all 5 of those years and we've made a lot of great lessons,we've made a lot of people happy..we've done lots of practical stuff but we've done lots of fun stuff and I think the fun stuff is what makes ChinesePod so special, what keeps people motivated, keeps them learning, and if I had to sum up 3 things which I think make ChinesePod lessons really special, those words would be: Ninja's, Godzilla and Alienabduction [that's one word ].
Simon Pettersson,
"这个Peter，我一定要好好教训他。喂，要你帮个忙”
“明白了。我们忍者办事。你放心“
”你不懂规矩。你自己觉得呢？“
”我才不怕你。喂。啊。忍者！”
“哈哈哈，哈哈哈”
"zhège Peter, wǒ yīdìng yào hǎohāo jiàoxun tā. wèi, yào nǐ bāng ge máng"
"míngbai le. wǒmen rěnzhěbànshì. nǐ fàngxīn "
" nǐ bù dǒng guīju. nǐ zìjǐ juéde ne? "
" wǒ cái bùpà nǐ. wèi. ā. rěnzhě!"
"hāhāhā, hāhāhā"
That Peter... I really have to teach him a lesson. Hello? I need your help
I get it. We ninjas will take care of it. Relax. 1 (I get it. We ninjas will take care of it. Relax
you don't understand the rules. Don't you think so?
I'm not afraid of you. Hello? Augh! Ninjas!
hahaha, hahaha
Sylvia，
祝你生日快乐
zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè
Wish you Happy Birthday
bababardwan
September 07, 2010 at 01:57 PM
Ok, well apologies in advance for my poor hearing/Chinese and thus errors in translation, but I thought some newer poddies might want to catch all of the Chinese in the video montage to fully enjoy the celebrations, so I thought I'd try and transcribe what I could. Corrections welcomed:
Sylvia 亲爱的ChinesePod, 你几五岁了！ 在我出五年，我们在一起那么开心，所以我最要说 “祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐” Matthias, 祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐，祝你生日ChinesePod,祝你生日快乐 Amanda, Happy Birthday to you,Happy Birthday to you ? 祝你生日快乐, 祝你生日快乐, 祝你生日快乐 Matthew, 中文播客，祝你生日快乐，你太棒了 ？ 祝你生日快乐，呵呵呵。。。Xiaoliang Jenny, 大家好，我是Jenny from ChinesePod.我很高新we're finally five years old, which means I've got a lot older during the past 5 years.我想谢谢大家支持ChinesePod,..we couldn't have done it without you, the users. It might sound cliche but it's how I actually feel. So keep enjoying the lessons and hope to see you on ChinesePod. 再见。 Keith, 我什么时候首先开始了ChinesePod，我有黑色的头发。。现在看看我。祝你生日快乐ChinesePod Hank Horkoff, Hi, I'm Hank, co-founder of ChinesePod.I would just like to thank all the students and our staff over the past 5 years. Five years is a very very long time, and we've had a large number of crazy and interesting personalities that have both worked for us and visited at our site. Thankyou to you all. Bweedin， ChinesePod 好，我是Bweedin。我住在洛杉矶。谢谢你。谢谢你给我们很好的课文，很好玩的对话。恭喜你们。 Mark， 中文播客是我的学习中文的顶连就。。每次出差我都用中文。谢谢中文播客 Pretzellogic， 生日快乐ChinesePod，我是Pretzellogic。我要告诉你们；你们都做很好的工作。我觉得最好的中文课是“父母孩子吵架”： “你现在不努力，考不上大学，一辈子就完了“ Lili， ..and today we're going to talk about 离合字.right? no? 离合字，哈哈。。离 【Jenny： 离。。合。。字 】 ok..离合字..no I can't....ok,I'm just gonna do something else.. John Pasden, Hey ChinesePod...Happy Birthday. It's hard to believe that you're already 5 years old. I've been here for almost all 5 of those years and we've made a lot of great lessons,we've made a lot of people happy..we've done lots of practical stuff but we've done lots of fun stuff and I think the fun stuff is what makes ChinesePod so special, what keeps people motivated, keeps them learning, and if I had to sum up 3 things which I think make ChinesePod lessons really special, those words would be: Ninja's, Godzilla and Alienabduction [that's one word ]. Simon Pettersson, "这个Peter，我一定要好好教训他。喂，要你帮个忙” “明白了。我们忍者办事。你放心“ ”你不懂规矩。你自己觉得呢？“ ”我才不怕你。喂。啊。忍者！” “哈哈哈，哈哈哈” Sylvia， 祝你生日亏啊了
If someone would be kind enough to pinyinise and translate, that would be awesome, otherwise I'll see what I can do tomorrow. Gotta go. Wan an. :)
bababardwan
September 07, 2010 at 03:25 PM
Hey Silvia,
Awesome job..you're a star ! We must have been posting at the same time, as I had just gone back and edited the 一起 bit and when I came back I see two things...editing it has ruined my spacing, and also you were kind enough to correct my errors. I've just had another listen and it's clear as day now those little bits my old hears missed first time round. Beautiful singing, beautiful concept, and great Chinese. Well done ! :)
xiaolanzhu
September 07, 2010 at 03:15 PM
Hey Bababardwan, good job!
I apologise for my unclear speaking and probable mistakes too, but this is what I (was supposed to) say in the video:
亲爱的ChinesePod,
你已经五岁了！ 在过去五年，我们在一起那么开心，所以我就要说 “祝你生日快乐，祝你生日快乐”
--
Dear ChinesePod,
You are already 5 years old! In the past 5 years we have been so happy together, so I just want to say Happy Birthday!
--
And at the end of the video it is also another simple 祝你生日快乐!
Great video!! Thank you ChinesePod Team :-)
Silvia
pretzellogic
September 07, 2010 at 10:49 AM
which one was simonpettersson? I didn't recognize him without the hat!
xiao_liang
September 07, 2010 at 06:39 PM
Yea! I thought his voice acting rivalled that of the chinesepod staff, hehe! :)
bababardwan
September 07, 2010 at 11:04 AM
pretzell,
his hat was in the top right hand corner of the screen in the second last scene [ the guy that dies..Peter]
btw Great to hear your voice mate :)
suxiaoya
September 07, 2010 at 09:48 AM
Anniversary video montage is now uploaded and available to watch! Take a look here:
http://chinesepod.com/anniversary
We'll be announcing the "best user message" soon, and will also try to post up the messages in full.
Thanks!
bababardwan
September 29, 2010 at 08:31 AM
Hey, thanks heaps for the kind sentiment guys, but no way. Simon's was a clear cut winner, and I'm just thrilled a couple of you got a laugh. It's all about fun and in a small way thanking CPod for the fantastic learning opportunity and fun they give us. Jiayou CPod. :)
Tal
September 26, 2010 at 02:49 PM
If you're in China you have to use a VPN to see this? Oh swell. No possible alternative to this?
suxiaoya
September 26, 2010 at 03:13 AM
RJBerki - baba's is so funny, huh? We were all laughing outloud in the office. Sooo characteristically creative :-)
RJ
September 26, 2010 at 02:47 AM
thanks suxiaoya. American idol, watch out.
Simon - what can I say, the winner for a reason.
Matthias - you have answered the age old question, can one speak Chinese with a British accent.
Amanda - dont take this the wrong way, but Im delighted there is at least one english word the Chinese have trouble with - "Birthday". Actually I like your pronunciation better. If only my Chinese were as good.
Baba- wow, you win, jiayou my friend. Great job. Hilarious.
All of them were either fun or inspiring to watch. Thanks to all for having the guts to step up.
suxiaoya
September 26, 2010 at 02:10 AM
Hi Guys,
All the user video and audio messages have now been uploaded to our blog, and the winner of our contest has been announced there, too. The staff videos will be added later.
You can take a look here:
http://blog.chinesepod.com/2010/09/26/chinesepod-fifth-anniversary-video-contest/
Please note: if you're in China you'll need a VPN to see the videos, which are hosted on Vimeo.
Thanks again to all who got involved!
suxiaoya
September 25, 2010 at 02:18 AM
Really pleased the video montage was received well! I shall look to upload the video entries in full in the next day or two, and announce the winner alongside this. Thanks for your patience :-)
xiao_liang
September 07, 2010 at 06:38 PM
Aw, and I really want to see the other videos of chinesepod staff that were shown without any audio! Particularly the one of you Sarah where you clearly mess it all up and go off in embarassment, haha :)
Oh, and all the behind the scenes people we NEVER get to see, like the tech team, marketing, sound engineer yana :) I bet we've heard all their voices, but getting to see them is a rare treat for chinesepod geeks! Please upload their videos :)
martijn819
September 07, 2010 at 06:34 PM
Truly awesome! Nice to see people, and put video to everyone's names.
Really loved the ninja video -- I could recall that lesson immediately :-)
Good times!
zhenlijiang
September 07, 2010 at 06:06 PM
Wow good work David. Very Impressed especially by those poddies whose source of Mandarin learning is nearly entirely ChinesePod!
And nice touch, to let us see the face behind so many male characters in the dialogues. Just as revealing as hearing the voices behind the avatars.
Lili: ... No I can't. OK I'm just gonna do something else ..."! hahaha.
Enjoyed everybody's happy mood. （＾◇＾）
xiao_liang
September 07, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Although John did miss out the fourth thing that makes Chinesepod awesome. Zombies!
bababardwan
September 07, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Watching it again, I've gotta say I loved every single contribution. I loved Silvia's candles and singing at the start and finish. Very nice touch.
bababardwan
September 07, 2010 at 10:13 AM
hey, just noticed your comment mate,hehe..thanks. So should it be bababatman or battybardwan? ps loved your puppet contribution...and the suspense..who was behind those stuffed toys. Well done mate :)
bababardwan
September 07, 2010 at 10:11 AM
Bravo ! Bravo ! Thankyou ChinesePod. I had a smile on my face from the start to finish of this video montage and still can't wipe it off. As always professionally put together [and always a huge Billy Joel fan so scenes from an Italian Restaurant in the background was an awesome choice] and so good to get the contributions of the other poddies too. Hehe, I totally got where Matthew [ the poddie in the bath] was coming from. Well done and thanks to all. 我很感动。 Jiayou CPod !!
xiao_liang
September 07, 2010 at 09:59 AM
Heh! Brilliant. I could only watch it on very low volume at work, so I'll give it a proper watch later at home. Great work David, very funny.
Plus, the voice of Bababardwan! It's a bit like meeting Batman, but better!
georgeconk
September 06, 2010 at 02:06 PM
Thanks, Jenny, John, Connie, Liliana, Ken and everyone at Chinese Pod. You make learning fun by keeping it fresh and your lessons - and voices - clear.
- George
Lao Xia
September 05, 2010 at 08:32 PM
Dear Chinese pod Team,
Happy Anniversary! Thanks to Chinese Pod I found a fun way to keep my Chinese in good shape without too much effort. Love your lessons and good sense of humour! Looking forward to be your student for the next five years.
老夏(or Harm from the Netherlands)
sfrrr
September 05, 2010 at 06:23 PM
ChinesePod is more than just a website. For many of us, it is an essential part of each day. For a website, that's a huge accomplishment. So is lasting for five whole years and getting better and more relevant all the time. Congratulations on your fifth birthday and may it last hundred years!
bodawei
September 05, 2010 at 01:54 PM
Just watching my favourite show 迷途 which reminded me today is you birthday, right?
祝你们生日快乐！
祝你们永远不会失去的方式。
cp50
September 05, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Hi C-Pood Team, I've study with your voices in my I-Phone for the last two months.
As newby student was it very enjoyable to hear Jane and Kan explanation lessons.
Enjoy your 5th Birthday Celebrations tonight, I wish you all the best. Regards and have funy!
BEBC
September 07, 2010 at 08:06 PM
Goo_manly: cp50 overload the cebrelation. My, if one has done an overstuffy in the tumloader, finish the job with a ladleho of brandy butter, then pukeit all the way to the toileybox.
Deep Joy.
(courtesy S.U.)
go_manly
September 05, 2010 at 12:55 PM
I just traveled to a parallel universe where Jane and Kan of Chinese Pood are having funy.
chanelle77
September 03, 2010 at 02:18 PM
Hi guys, it was nice to see everybody in person! Thx for that! See you at Chinesepod turns 10 :-)
chris
September 04, 2010 at 11:54 AM
Oh no, how annoying! I've only just realised there was a party at Cottons last night. And to think, I was actually twiddling my thumbs for once on a friday night after work wondering what to do with myself. Hope everyone had a good time. I'll have to pay more attention to the announcements in future!
chanelle77
September 03, 2010 at 03:12 PM
Hahah baba!
Well, we know in 2 weeks for sure and the timing etc, promise to keep you posted. Just hope to be able to finish my semester at Nanshida which starts this Mon :-)!
Have not been so active here lately bc I want to spend as much time here as I can, but I am here lurking in the background :-P
Take care!
bababardwan
September 03, 2010 at 02:46 PM
chanelle,
you are too kind, and the pleasure would have been all mine. I would have given my right arm to get there, but the airlines said my arm wasn't worth much to 'em.
When do you head to Dubai? You must keep us posted. All the best :)
chanelle77
September 03, 2010 at 02:38 PM
Hi Baba, it was very nice to real people behind Cpod, but it would have been nice to see you and other regulars irl :-)
My sis is visiting me and we were in Shanghai and we thought it was nice to go for a short visit!
bababardwan
September 03, 2010 at 02:24 PM
chanelle,
Tell all. How was it? Any other poddies there? Were all of the CPod team there?
bababardwan
September 03, 2010 at 09:19 AM
Hey CPod team [and attending Poddies]..enjoy your 5th Birthday Celebrations tonight. I guess you'll be starting to gear up for that...very exciting. I'll be there in spirit. Have a ball. :)
Tal
September 03, 2010 at 02:09 PM
Behind any great avatar is "a circus monkey doing eye exercises". But a picture is a finger pointing at the moon , it is not the moon.
bababardwan
September 03, 2010 at 10:52 AM
the finger is pointing up in the sky...it's a bird, it's a plane, it's ..zaogao...I need to ganjing my yanjing !
go_manly
September 03, 2010 at 10:12 AM
I'm trying to imagine a finger going head-to-head with a sea eagle.
xiao_liang
September 03, 2010 at 09:27 AM
They should take print outs of our pictures, and have them re-enact famous forum arguments!
Have a great party everyone. Wish we were there! (Actually, I think they may have already left :-p )
suxiaoya
September 01, 2010 at 09:28 AM
A reminder to everyone in Shanghai:
The anniversary celebrations begin this Friday with an "offline" party in the French Concession!
If you'll be in Shanghai, we would be honoured to see you at Cotton's Garden Bar. You can find the details on our blog post, here.
RSVP: sarah.edson@chinesepod.com
The whole team will be there, so do join us if you can - and help us kick-start the next five years of ChinesePod learning!
pretzellogic
September 01, 2010 at 10:26 AM
If pictures are taken, please remember to host them where those of us in China can see them. Thanks.
shi3ke4li4
August 31, 2010 at 10:05 PM
One evening after work, I logged on to Chinese Pod to study the intermediate lesson for that week. First I studied the vocabulary, then I followed the written text while listening to Jenny and John interpert the dialogue. Reviewed the expansion section, then on to the exercises.
After working my way through the exercises; matching, sentence re-ording, dictation and multiple choice. I clicked “submit answers.”
Immediately I returned to the dictation section, where the wrong answers were most likely.
Dictation section ... no wrong responses. Maybe the errors were in sentence re-ordering as I scrolled up a little further, still no wrong responses. I checked the other two sections still no wrong responses.
Seeing your score 100%, 46/46 (something new for me) was clearly an exuberant moment, as well as, a major sea change in promoting confidence in my ability to learn Chinese.
A profound THANK YOU to Chinese Pod for all your assistance, an exceptional staff that produces tremendous efforts. 祝 你们 继续 成功。
SiYao
August 31, 2010 at 10:32 AM
Happy Birthday, ChinesePod. After beginning with your newbie lessons back in late '06, I've continued on with additional classes at a local city college and have met a great mandarin teacher, a Beijingren, as well. Although my reading/writing skills are far behind conversational, I still enjoying studying every day, here and there, in the car, on my iPod, at work - listening to the lessons is very addictive. Upper Intermediate is still a challenge - the vocabulary gets intimidating sometimes. My English speaking friends will attest to my habit of speaking mandarin once in a while, even though they have no idea of what I'm saying! I had never been bi-lingual before ChinesePod addiction.
I can say that now I can speak in acceptable mandarin to my relatives and Chinese friends without using much English at all - except when it gets really technical or difficult. It was my original goal to be able to communicate especially with relatives who are not native English speakers. I find that after 3.5 years or so, I actually think to myself in Chinese or translate my English thought patterns in order to practice saying it in mandarin. Still have a long way to go, but it's always fun to study further. In addition, I find learning mandarin very theraputic as a Chinese-American who never lived in his parents' native country.
I just signed up for another year! Bring back Shanghainese lessons!
Si Yao, aka Bob
bweedin
August 29, 2010 at 09:20 PM
Do we get to see the other members' videos?
Anyway, I copied Simonpetterson's idea and put up a link on sendspace and e-mailed it to you.
It's nothing special, but thanks for watching.
bababardwan
September 01, 2010 at 07:42 AM
ps I guess I could borrow Simon's 巴拉克拉瓦 and 木人樁 then I could give it a shot, 可是我是一个情人而不是一个战士，所以我不知道怎么使用，呵呵
bababardwan
September 01, 2010 at 07:23 AM
It's alright for you good lookin' fellas, but I don't know how to photoshop video, and even if possible, if there's a programme powerful enough, hehe
Tal
September 01, 2010 at 05:46 AM
拍马屁！In these days of the bulging waistline and the receding hairline, I dare not count myself a 帅哥！But rejection? Man, I've been there! 
Tal
September 01, 2010 at 05:44 AM
Howzabout this baba mate? You post a vid and I'll post a vid? 怎么样？
simonpettersson
September 01, 2010 at 04:24 AM
Judging by Chinese girls' attitude to foreign guys, I'm afraid a handsome guy like Tal might find the rejection part the most difficult to reenact.
bababardwan
September 01, 2010 at 04:12 AM
hey tal, it would be awesome to see you do that pickup artist vid...even just an impromptu shot with a cheap camera. Even if it's past the deadline, still posting a link to it here on this thread would be cool.
bababardwan
September 01, 2010 at 04:09 AM
hehe, the wooden pole you're holding and the suit you're wearing made me think you were at risk of being mistaken for a 木人樁
Tal
September 01, 2010 at 03:33 AM
Good point mate! Having now seen Simon's mitts in action, I certainly wouldn't want to provoke him! 
Tal
September 01, 2010 at 03:29 AM
baba was kind enough to send me the audio from your vid, so in fact I have to join in the praise of your spoken Chinese. 真不错呀！
哎, I kinda wish I had the time to do a vid myself now, but what? If only I could cast myself in a video version of the Pickup Artist , that would be perfect. But I don't think Jenny, Jiaojie and Connie would ever agree to play the female roles! 
Yeah I really must get to Foshan sometime and enjoy that beer! 
bababardwan
August 31, 2010 at 10:16 AM
tal,
I wouldn't recommend wearing your outfit here:
http://chinesepod.com/community/conversations/post/8720#comment-176657
when Simon comes to "reenact the dialogue for you"
simonpettersson
August 31, 2010 at 09:20 AM
I'm sorry, you guys! I wasn't thinking, just picked the default format. I don't usually work with video (and I didn't originally plan to send the video anywhere but to CPod), so I didn't think much of using the MOV format and less still about what audio codec I was using. I'd reupload it, but it's pretty big and my Internet connection is priced by the byte. Also it was such a hassle to make the first time so I'd rather not bother with it anymore.
Don't worry, Tal, it's not that great, anyway. If you ever drop by Foshan I'll reenact the dialogue for you and also buy you a beer.
bababardwan
August 31, 2010 at 07:29 AM
that programme also has an option to just extract the audio into an mp3 format. Unfortunately that didn't work. It did however work extracting it to a wav file which plays in wmp. However that is a 32 MB file, so I used another programme to convert it to mp3 which is only 1.5MB, so if all else fails we could use that, so at least you have the audio.
bababardwan
August 31, 2010 at 06:47 AM
yes, I dowloaded this video converter:
http://www.any-video-converter.com/download-avc-free.php
which was a 16MB download, and was up and running in a jiffy. It only takes a few secs to convert. I've been playing around with some formats. Converting it to an avi [which was the default conversion] worked straight away and works in wmp.
bababardwan
August 31, 2010 at 06:32 AM
Ok,well I clicked on properties and it says it's a quicktime movie.... which has .mov extension [though I have a feeling it may have converted to that format when it wouldn't open in wmp and I opened it in quicktime]. So if you don't have quicktime, perhaps you could download that. Alternatively you could try a video converter. I'll see if I can convert it for you [ if I have enough data left to download the converter]. Back in a tic.
Tal
August 31, 2010 at 06:00 AM
Hi baba
I tried VLC which I usually use for everything = no sound. I tried WMP which I usually never use = no sound. I tried Media Player Classic = no sound. Much as I esteem our quickfisted hat-loving friend... I give up. lol
catherinem
August 31, 2010 at 03:19 AM
You can try VLC, which worked for me. Download it for free here.
bababardwan
August 31, 2010 at 02:16 AM
tal, while waiting for a response from simon, did you see my comment above? I had exactly the same problem in my default player...windows media player..but it worked fine for me in quicktime. Do you have any other players you can try in the interim? [like quicktime?] IHTH , good luck mate :).. I wonder if bodawei had any luck?
bababardwan
August 30, 2010 at 12:22 PM
the sound didn't work for me either in windows media player so I tried quicktime and it worked in that. Just try another program if you don't have quicktime
Simon has put my tones,pronunciation,prosody and accent to shame. It's back to the drawing board for me. I'm sold on this shadowing now, and all ears for any other tips.
bodawei
August 30, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Simon - I get everything but the sound. Is there a trick? (No I didn't have you muted.)
simonpettersson
August 30, 2010 at 09:31 AM
Don't know how many downloads you get from Sendspace, but here's the download link for my vid if anyone else wants to see it: http://www.sendspace.com/file/6iyxi2
I had trouble with sound bit rates, scan lines, syncing and lord knows what else, so don't expect anything fancy. In fact, it contains possibly toxic amounts of goofyness, and I take no responsibility for any neural damage one might sustain from watching it.
This is the sort of thing that irrevocably comes back to bite you in the ass when you become famous.
suxiaoya
August 30, 2010 at 07:25 AM
bweedin, I just watched your video (and shared it around the office!). I thought it was finished, then the musical finale began! Thank you so much ;-)
suxiaoya
August 27, 2010 at 09:33 AM
Just a reminder that this weekend is your last opportunity to feature in the ChinesePod fifth anniversary video montage.
Send us your messages to star alongside Jenny Zhu and John Pasden, speaking Chinese!!
email sarah.edson@chinesepod.com before Monday, or see the blog for the most up-to-date details.
Thanks to those who have sent us a message so far!
suxiaoya
August 30, 2010 at 07:26 AM
simonpettersson - received your video, thank you! It's so, so good :-)
simonpettersson
August 27, 2010 at 09:38 AM
Before Monday? Hooray, it got extended! I've got one; it's getting there.
xiao_liang
August 23, 2010 at 09:19 PM
Right! I made a video and sent it. It is awesome to the power of a million and if I don't win I will cry, unsubscribe, dump my girlfriend and never speak chinese again.
(note, this post may contain some lies. )
suxiaoya
August 24, 2010 at 01:51 AM
I can at least confirm that the first few points made above are not lies; my inbox contains a video that is indeed "awesome to the power of a million".
Thanks, xiao_liang :-)
bodawei
August 22, 2010 at 12:40 PM
Pitch: Big Trouble in Little China. In which a big party is held in Chinatown celebrating the ChinesePod five year retrospective. (lots of drinking and gambling). Ken Carrol makes an appearance as a sorcerer, and ‘the’ girl is saved from a fate worse than death. Tone set by the following quotes from the original: ‘What is going on here, some kind of magic?’ (Gracie Law) ‘You have many mysteries, many unanswerable questions, even in a life as short as yours.’ (Lo Pan) ‘My destiny rests in your capable hands.’ (Wang Chi) ‘It’s all in the reflexes.’ (Jack Burton) Players: Jack Burton (JB) – gotta be John Pasden (Jack Pasden). Gracie Law (GL) – Jenny Zhu (Jenny Law). Wang Chi (WC) – Matt Coleman revives his role in Menu Stealer (Matt Chi). David Lo Pan (DLP) – Ken Carrol (Kenneth Lo Pan). Egg Shen – (ES) Changye (Egg Shen Changye). Miao Yin (MY) – Connie. Still to be cast: Uncle Chu (UC), Wing Kong Hatchet Man (WKHM) – simonpetersen? Sewer Monster (SM) – several poddies have potential for this role. Thunder (T) – [mean looking guy who explodes] – I reckon go_manly could do this. Lightening (L) – gets crushed to death. Rain (R) – definitely Tal. JB: Hey there is a big party going on in Chinatown. WC: Really, what’s the cause for celebration? JB: ChinesePod is turning five. Oh, that is great. Let’s go to Uncle’s for a meal first. Opening scene: Lo Pan appears through a hole in the roof.)
Needs work.
Happy Birthday ChinesePod.
Tal
August 26, 2010 at 08:56 AM
“lyrical, mysterious, mystical etc. The man/ghost has skills.”
Now I really am flattered! Cheers mate. ;)
bodawei
August 26, 2010 at 06:29 AM
John Pasden got the main role in my skit on the strength of the number of lines. I see it as a kind of Tom Hanks casting. ('You have a hero role? well then we have to get Tom Hanks.') You got a ChinesePod hero? Then we have to have John Pasden. John Pasden could play Tom Hanks if it came down to it. You're right, nothing much else fits. Jack Burton is pretty funny though - I don't think he lands a single punch in the whole film does he? Maybe he kills one baddy, I forget how (sits on him?)
No - there is no speaking part for me. I wouldn't mind being best boy. Actually to be honest we just ran out of money.
bababardwan
August 26, 2010 at 12:53 AM
Hey, I tell you what mate. I love 2 characters in this so far. The wise Egg Shen and the brilliant way he delivers his lines. I totally agree with your casting of Changye. Legend. Kurt Russel is also a champ in this movie. What a crackup. His character is nothing like John [ he's pretty rough and not too bright,hehe, but I think there could be an equal measure of dauntlessness], but I agree John would be the natural choice for acting the part and would do an awesome job. Only part way in so far so haven't sussed all the rest.
bababardwan
August 25, 2010 at 01:04 PM
bodawei,
...you didn't cast yourself. Surely you must identify with one of the characters.
BEBC
August 23, 2010 at 06:43 PM
Good Lord, you don't think Thunderbolt is scary do you ? Does he need to revise his image again ? How about Captain Creampuff ?
tvan: thank you for your kind endorsement, but unfortunately I am too busy saving the world right now to star in a major movie epic; besides, all my loving fans would accuse me of selling out.
bodawei
August 23, 2010 at 01:54 PM
To those interested in viewing BTILC I should warn you that it is not high art. It billed itself as a spoof but I suspect that the film's makers did not realise in those days that spoofing a Hong Kong gongfu movie is actually quite difficult. (How do you spoof something that looks like it does not take itself too seriously?) And spoof or not, the Chinese make much better films than this. But I still think that it is entertaining.
Tvan - didn't think of Thunderbolt but I wonder if go_manly is scarier even without a scary name?
Tal - I think you will find Rain suitably lyrical, mysterious, mystical etc. The man/ghost has skills.
bababardwan
August 23, 2010 at 02:58 AM
tal I was thinking exactly the same. I think I have seen parts [?just a few clips...definetly remember Kurt Russel in his role and some of that mystical stuff in the preview clip looks really familiar] of it years ago, but I'm really surprised that such a famous movie and I don't think I ever got around to watching it all either. Yeah, so thanks bodawei for mentioning it...I must watch it now and the references make it more interesting. I like your concept of a recasting anyway, hehe.
Tal
August 23, 2010 at 02:47 AM
Hell, I'm gonna have to finally see this movie now, just to understand all those references. Rain? Hmm... like the name, always believed 'a hard one's gonna fall'! Cheers bodawei, and happy birthday CPod!
tvan
August 23, 2010 at 12:48 AM
Thunder... Are you kidding? Why ask when we have a poddie who calls himself Captain Thunderbolt? Hell, considering how many Avatars he's had so far, I'm sure he could come up with an exploding one.
suxiaoya
August 17, 2010 at 10:51 AM
Hey All - check out the video Dan, John and I just put together this afternoon, to demonstrate just how easy it is using a point-and-shoot digital camera:
Don't be shy; have a try yourself! The messages we've received so far a great, but we want lots more!!
email: sarah.edson@chinesepod.com before August 27th.
No need to do any editing yourself!
bababardwan
August 17, 2010 at 10:13 PM
thanks mate. That certainly fits as well, but I was looking for that sense of backfired where the joke would be back on me...not just something that didn't work out.
xiao_liang
August 17, 2010 at 02:19 PM
I am too busy at work to be chengyu'ing at the moment unfortunately :-( My chinese studies are really suffering! I may have to sign up to executive at this rate! (Shortly after my lottery win)
bababardwan
August 17, 2010 at 01:08 PM
可能：
当笑话适得其反
hmm, that and:
事与愿违 ...things not turning out as planned ..is not quite the same as "backfiring" . There must be a chengyu for this surely. Where's xiaoliang?
bababardwan
August 17, 2010 at 01:03 PM
啊，不好意思。。我的中文fails me. Sorry, I was trying to say:
"of course I was kidding. Otherwise my comment above makes it sound like I have a huge project/plan. 27th is fine "
suxiaoya
August 17, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Aah, well, ok, I guess we can push it back for you, bababardwan. Don't tell the others, though (I am trying to inject a bit of urgency into the whole thing so it's not a mad last-minute rush on our end...) ;-)
xiao_liang
August 17, 2010 at 11:46 AM
I should they'll do a special extension for the father of the discussion boards eh!
bababardwan
August 17, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Hey suxiaoya, that vid's great. But your post here:
http://chinesepod.com/community/conversations/post/10030#comment-188854
said the deadline was extended to the 29th and now you've cut it back to the 27th and I'm on a tight production schedule [not going to make it anymore] and I haven't even got time in that schedule to study todays apt lesson "negotiating a deadline" which may have helped my case here. :(
xiao_liang
August 16, 2010 at 08:30 AM
Blimey, I chose the wrong 2 weeks to be away eh?
Happy birthday Chinesepod!
suxiaoya
August 16, 2010 at 07:28 AM
Hi Guys -
Thank you for the birthday messages you've been sending through so far. I have received some really fun audio files, including a brilliant message set to music from one of our Teacher Services students, Keith. We're looking for even more, though!
Just as a reminder, the prize for the most entertaining/creative Birthday message is a smartpen from Live Scribe. It's a very cool little gadget that can record and playback the audio it picks up as you write. Could be great for practicing characters.
The most exciting thing for us is to see/hear our users speaking the Chinese they have picked-up here, so please don't be shy!
I'd like to emphasize that to make a video doesn't need to be complicated (no need to do any editing!); just shoot a little message with your camera or phone - it's all welcome.
To get involved in the celebrations, please email me your text, audio or video message by August 29th. Or simply add it to this thread.
Thanks!
email: sarah.edson@chinesepod.com
xiao_liang
September 19, 2010 at 10:00 PM
Any chance of the missing videos cpod folks? I'd love to hear what the people we saw in the video were actually saying?
bababardwan
August 16, 2010 at 07:55 AM
wow, interesting pen..looks like fun. So will you start publishing "pencasts" ? ..maybe even create a sister site "ChinesePen" ,hehe..
WillBuckingham
August 16, 2010 at 01:23 AM
Hey folks, congratulations. Five years in the online world is getting close to Daoist levels of immortality. I've been continually impressed by the good humour and extraordinarily high quality of CPod materials. CPod lessons are almost always interesting, fun to listen to and useful.
I started learning Chinese just under 2 years ago picking my way through Newbie lessons thinking, "This language is nuts, I don't see how anyone can get their head round it." But then yesterday - six weeks into my first visit to China - I was hanging out with folks on Daxiang Shan here in Gansu, chatting about this and that, explaining to a bunch of monks why I couldn't personally get them visas for the UK, being persuaded to demonstrate my (minimal) dancing skills, and being treated (subjected is probably the more accurate word!) to a long lecture by one particular monk on life, the universe and everything.
If I was coming to Shanghai this time around, I'd bring you all a massive cake to thank you all, as I don't think I'd have made this progress without CPod. But sadly I'm heading back to Beijing in a week's time and then flying home, and so I won't be visiting Shanghai and thus no cake. But I'll keep listening, and when I do make it to Shanghai - hopefully before your 10th anniversary - I'll make sure that a visit to the CPod offices, and a consignment of cake, is involved. By then, perhaps, with CPod's continuing help, I will have graduated from the sometimes stuttering low intermediate speaker that I am at the moment - a level that I'm astonished to have got to after two years - into something more fluent.
Best wishes to you all,
Will/thinkBuddha
WillBuckingham
August 17, 2010 at 11:31 AM
Thanks, Baba. Don't even get me started on the intergalactic traveller I met in Baoji Coffee King today ("What? You mean you are really from another planet...?")
bababardwan
August 16, 2010 at 02:15 AM
and being treated (subjected is probably the more accurate word!) to a long lecture by one particular monk on life, the universe and everything.
..hehe,love it. Glad to hear you're having all these great experiences. Jiayou Will.
walidshaari
August 15, 2010 at 07:38 PM
It is exactly a year since i joined CP, i just wanted to learn some basic Chinese greetings, and few words to impress the new local Chinese restaurant near my parents. and it became an addiction especially if you start learning the characters and joining skritter complementary service.
Happy 5 years. wu sui kuai le. 五岁快乐
mark
August 15, 2010 at 06:23 PM
Well, happy birthday Cpod. You have been my primary source of Chinese language study material for four and a half years. I think there is not quite enough material in your archives for me to get completely fluent, yet. So, you better keep going！
The good news for new learners is that you won't have to wait for a new lesson each day. You'll be able to immerse yourself in as much new material as you can stand immediately.
There already have been some successful personnel transitions. David took over Jenny's spot in the Advanced lessons. He is not as cute as Jenny, visually or linguistically, but he has a way with words that I enjoy differently, but as much as I enjoyed Jenny in that slot. John took Ken's place in the Elementary lessons. He is probably less likely to get hauled in by the tone police, and seems to have long ago hit his stride in the lesson banter. I still have a mental image of Aric getting spunged off in a bathhouse by a guy in waders and nothing else. You haven't quite found a marketing guy with the same edgy flare, since, but seem to carry on fine without it. Anyway, it does seem that Cpod is bigger than any one person, which is a good thing.
生日快乐！春年快来了。
zhenlijiang
August 15, 2010 at 03:31 PM
Hey I just hope you guys aren't getting bored with doing ChinesePod (Jenny, John. All other old-timers). Hope it's still fun for you after all these years.
Thank you for all the 精彩 lessons and patient, good-humored teaching.
oh and Congratulations ヽ（＾ｖ＾）丿
Michael Krzykowski
August 15, 2010 at 12:27 PM
I've been a fan for several years. 生日快乐 Chinese Pod!!
trevorb
August 13, 2010 at 12:40 PM
How about a what are they doing now article? It would be interesting to know what people who were podcasters & teachers are doing now as well as about the students.
As someone learning Mandarin outside of china CPod has been invaluable and I suspect in a couple of hundred years (i.e. once I've mastered了 ) when I am proficient I will still be using ChinesePod to help me stay that way.
Congratulations on surviving,growing and evolving despite the setbacks. I look forward to seeing where the next five years take you.
BEBC
August 25, 2010 at 07:49 PM
不客气
Re: 什么 / 什么都 .....shenme can also mean 'something', and when used before 都 means 'everything'. When shenme is used before 都 ( or 也 ）in a negative phrase it takes the meaning 'not anything' or 'nothing'.eg. 我什么都不知道 = "I don't know anything" or "I know nothing" - A handy phrase when dealing with the dastardly Bosch :-)
+ I think the 2nd 看in 看看 is just used to soften the tone eg in requests and suggestions .... makes it sound less like a demand . Same for other duplicated verbs of this form.
BEBC
August 24, 2010 at 08:25 PM
TREVORB
I can't reply to your request for help on the group board because I'm unable to join the group - perhaps because I'm not a current subscriber to CPod. I also can't PM you because that is not working for me, so I'm replying here Re: 他想了想
Verb 了Verb is a pattern indicating that the action was done for a short period of time, so it can be translated as "had a think" or "had a quick think" etc.
Another example: 他看了看那张画儿 = "He took a look at the picture."
suxiaoya
August 14, 2010 at 01:57 AM
I like that idea, trevorb! There's plenty of people who we can get involved, so hopefully we can rally a few familiar faces (voices?).
xiaophil
August 13, 2010 at 10:07 AM
Even though I sometimes complain about this or that, I do, oh so do, love CPod lessons, and I very much love the community built around the website, and I especially am thankful for all the help that CPod staff has given me.
Actually, I do feel a bit nostalgic. I just realized that the first time I used CPod coincided almost exactly with when I first came to live in China five years ago. I remember sitting in my room googling for Chinese lessons. One of the sites I looked at was of course CPod. I remember thinking that it seemed to be the best resourse out there. Little did I know that it was only a week or so old. At that time CPod allowed users to download the mp3s for free. At that time I knew almost no Mandarin. I took advantage of a few freebie downloads, but didn't really use the website other than that for a while as I had a tutor, and that seemed enough for me at the time.
After eventually becoming frustrated with my slow pace of learning Mandarin, I started studying at Shanghai Jiaotong University. However, I soon encountered a new frustration--the language instruction there seemed a bit stale, somehow didn't feel entirely natural, and avoided many topics that would have been useful in daily life. I came back to CPod and started being a paid user.
For a long time I didn't do anything more than just download files from here. I'm not sure why. But as I said above, after getting involved in the community, I have learned a lot from both other users and staff.
Although my Mandarin level still frustrates me, I have come a long way since I first heard Ken and Jenny. For the longest time just about every Chinese person with an education could speak better English than my Mandarin. Now, it is definitely the other way around. I also can follow most of the instruction parts in the podcast lessons that are spoken in Mandarin.
CPod has also come a long way. Recently I have been listening to some of the oldest intermediate and higher lessons. I keep thinking to myself that they are still much better than half the stuff I learned at Jiaotong, and as far as I know, are still better than the competition. That said, after comparing them to the lessons from the past two or three years, it is hard to have patience for the earlier ones when the newer ones are so good. I hope this doesn't sound bad. I just want to emphasize that CPod has gone from very good to light years ahead of anything else out there.
So congratulations CPod! Thank you for your hard work! Thank you for making my Mandarin better!
suxiaoya
August 14, 2010 at 01:55 AM
xiaophil - thanks so much for taking the time to share this. I was a ChinesePod user before coming to work here, so I am feeling really quite nostalgic too :-)
xiaophil
August 13, 2010 at 10:11 AM
Wow, what is happening here? No pictures on the avatars, and I wanted to edit the above, but there isn't an edit button. I guess I'll stay tuned.
jennyzhu
August 13, 2010 at 09:37 AM
We'd love to hear from you guys! It would be so nice to put a face/voice to the avatars!
bababardwan
August 12, 2010 at 10:51 PM
Hey, this is awesome. 恭喜恭喜CPod. I love a good celebration and we all have a lot to celebrate. I love that you're doing it in style. Jiayou ! :)
suxiaoya
August 13, 2010 at 01:55 AM
Thanks for the support! Does this mean I can look forward to a message from you, bababardwan? Maybe you could record a short video of you and your daughter speaking some Chinese together?! ;-)
pretzellogic
August 12, 2010 at 04:02 PM
I take it the rerecording of all those early lessons are now complete, and there no longer exist any of the real first lessons ("do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?"). But it would be really cool if Cpod could reintroduce the very first lesson created back on Sept 5, 2005.
pretzellogic
September 07, 2010 at 12:48 PM
no first ever cpod lesson? It's lost to history. zai4jian4 Chris Tucker.......
pretzellogic
August 17, 2010 at 12:47 PM
well, if the originals aren't in the cpod vault, there's always a long term customer that likely has the original lesson available!
Joachim
August 13, 2010 at 05:32 AM
posterity = prosperity? That's quite some connotation. Sounds very Chinese to me. ;-)
suxiaoya
August 13, 2010 at 01:52 AM
ooh, nice idea, pretzellogic! I am not sure whether or not those lessons were stored away for prosperity. I can do a little digging...
bababardwan
August 12, 2010 at 10:43 PM
yeah, I agree,good suggestion, time to crack the first lesson out of the locked archive vault.
Hey,I've just realised it's you pretzell with a new avatar.
bababardwan
August 12, 2010 at 10:42 PM
yeah, me too. The whole intro was awesome and gets you excited. I never tire of it.
KokaTiger
August 12, 2010 at 06:16 PM
I loved that "do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth" tagline on some of those early lessons. Whenever I hear that I still crack up.
suansuanru
August 12, 2010 at 03:12 PM
I 've been a member of Cpod for just a few months,but I really loves here!
祝Chinesepod生日快乐！
simonpettersson
August 12, 2010 at 04:24 AM
Congratu-friggin'-lations, CPod! That's al I have time for, for now. But yeah, keep on rockin', everyone at the Pod. I know we complain sometimes about technical issues, but you guys are truly not just the best Chinese teaching system out there, but, I can honestly say, the best language instruction system I've come across.
simonpettersson
August 29, 2010 at 03:51 PM
Let it not be said that Simon Pettersson refused a reasonable request from a beautiful lady! I am in the process of sending you my video through sendspace.com. Hopefully you'll have the download link in your inbox when you get to work tomorrow.
And I finished with 20 minutes to spare before the extended deadline! Good thing I'm not prone to procrastination.
suxiaoya
August 13, 2010 at 02:55 AM
simonpettersson - thank you!
We would LOVE to see you put that "Congratu-figgin'-lations" message into photo/video format. Are still in Foshan? Maybe you could incorporate some gongfu into it...?!
Either way, thanks so much for your support :-)
linlaisui
February 24, 2011 at 02:05 AMgong xi to all hope you to have more years to come.... sorry if im late in posting here.. but here i am now..