Emma and Joel's discussion
echo1
May 13, 2008, 12:40 PM posted in General DiscussionHey Joel,
So like we talked about, I think we should go all out with props and stuff, although I'm not sure how we're going to recreate a shopping mall kind of environment. And costume changes! (I just get excited about costumes in general) I think we should definitely throw in some changes to show the change in character (for me) and the change in setting (for you.) Other than that the dialogues seem pretty straight forward, I haven't really had many problems but that may be because I've only read them once..
There is one thing I was wondering about though, in 'The Come-On' I can't figure out whether Zhang Liang actually knows that Li Fei is hitting on him or not.. He seems a bit clueless, but maybe he's just doing it on purpose to buy himself some time in a potentially awkward situation? What do you think? I think we should sort out exactly what each character is thinking so we can get a better idea about their personalities.
How are you going with it?
Emma
echo1
May 14, 2008, 10:52 AMYeah Li Fei is such a hussy haha.
Ermm I'm not sure about the whole turning point thing, because it seems like Zhang Liang is pretty nice about the whole thing, he's all conciliatory and obviously straight out lying when he's talking about how his attitude is wrong (是我态度不好) so I think Lili is just spoiling for a fight! I guess their relationship has passed the whole honeymoon stage thing and now they're settling into the nitty-gritty bits of everyday life. Which makes sense in the context of the other scenes- I mean, there's Lili's ex boyfriend, and Zhang Liang's not very helpful friends, and Li Fei pining after ZL... so much pressure! This is a pretty minor fight considering the rest of stuff that's going on, it just seems to me like Lili is being really princess-y, she just goes off at ZL for expressing a pretty standard male opinion.
Costume changes are awesoommme. I miss high school drama! I mean like theatrical drama, not the back-stabbing scandalous kind.
jwin
May 15, 2008, 10:27 AMSpeaking of high drama of the back-stabbing scandalous kind, I just red 'a guys advice on women'. The vocab is pretty hard, there is a lot of new stuff, but dragging the mouse over the dialogue reveals drama worthy of the most meladromatic daytime soap. Who would have thought lili's ex-boyfriend would be an internet millionair? and only 30 years old!
Zhang Liang's 'bro', Zhen Hua, basicly convinces him that Lili and the millionaire ex areback together, because he's such a promising young man and she's a girl of such good character (not vain at all) so how could they resist each other? Zhang Liang is just not good enough for her - 配不上她.
张亮总算想通了。Of course! (Zhang Liang realises,) That's why she's so always (老)so busy and never talks to him on the internet anymore... This new use of 老 is something im not that familiar with, i'll ask sometime why and when you use it.
开跑车，喝红酒，送钻石。They drive sports cars, drink red wine and give diamonds！How can we ordinary men compare with internet millionaires? 我们怎么和他比?
echo1
May 16, 2008, 08:43 AMHey
Soo I took a look at the other lessons as well, they're all so funny! I don't think I like either ZL or Lili. He tries too hard, and she just annoys me. Starting from the beginning, ZL and Lili have been chatting online and 'The Fated Meeting' is their first meet-up in real life. Interestingly, ZL mentions right here in the beginning that he has to work overtime nearly every day, and that forms the basis of our second dialogue, 'The Come-On', which is at the end of the series. I guess if he's working late every day that gives Li Fei ample opportunity to ingratiate herself into his life.
Then in 'Growing Affections' they're not quite official yet but ZL is pulling out all the stops! I especially like this line, 你的睫毛真漂亮 (Your eyelashes are so pretty.) ZL really likes his cheesy compliments, like in 'Love Letter' where he says, 你就是我最好的维生素 (you are my best vitamin) That one happens after our dialogue 'Lover's Spat', so I guess they manage to work things out and maybe decide never to go shopping together any more.
I wonder how invested Lili really is in this relationship, she keeps brushing off ZL and basically telling him to shut up with all his sweet talk. I wonder if she means it or it's just some kind of playing it hot and cold tactic.
jwin
May 17, 2008, 06:55 AMThat's some serious character analysis... It seems all the of them are a bit wacky - You are my best Vitamin!
I've been investigating 'Fei Fei' in 'scheming girls'. It seems that Chen Jing, Lili's best friend, agrees with us. she tells Li Fei she is always talking nonsense - 乱说. Chen Jing asks Li Fei about her new job, and Li Fei rapturously describes the shuai ge that is her new colleague, as it turns out this shuai ge just happens to be Zhang Liang, 陈静的最好的朋友的男朋友!
Chen Jing notes Li Fei's interest but oddly enough speculates as to how Li Fei can have dinner and drinks with Zhang Liang (她最好的朋友的男朋友)! a great best friend she is. 她说："it's not like they're married!"
Is Li Fei's thus a premeditated attack?
jwin
May 17, 2008, 07:48 AM'An old flame' 刘翔！怎么这么巧！- Lili meets an 'old friend', Liu Xiang, not the 最有名的 Chinese hurdelist, but an internet Billionaire (not a millionaire, but a Billionaire).
This is my favourite lesson so far. I thought it was hilarious though im not quite sure why, I just find each line cracks me up.
To start with Liu Xiang almost didnt recognise lili, （ok, not that funny).
Then Lili asks why Liu Xiang is there drinking Coffee, because she remembered that 以前 he used to hate coffee.
Liu Xiang says：its really been a long time, now i can't do without coffee, I drink a good several cups every day!
Come on. Tell me that's not funny.
anyhow, yada yada yada it turns out Li Xiang's company has been floated on the US stock exchange - 在美国上市. He has to go to a meeting, but "how could I forget you? I'll call you later, 好吗？"
Enter Zhang Liang: "Lili, 太对不起了， let me kiss your feet..."
lili is in a good mood: "it doesn't matter. I'm always late. isnt it always you waiting for me."
Zhang Liang: 我等你是应该的。
Me waiting for you is the way it should be.
An Oscar for script writing right there!
yada yada yada, i've seen that guy on tv, he's an 30 yr old internet billionaire!
我们是老朋友。
are you very familiar?
还可以。都是过去的事了。怎么，你不高兴？
I've gotta go, but is that not the best chinese pod lesson ever?
echo1
May 17, 2008, 09:42 AMHahaha well I'm glad you're enjoying your quality time with Chinese Pod!
Well maaaybe Chen Jing is helping Li Fei sabotage the relationship because she's so jealous. She is the jealous friend in 'The Jealous Friend'. Because she feels like Lili is putting Zhang Liang ahead of her friends, which we all know is the path to doom. Basically Lili is late for her lunch with Chen Jing, because of ZL, whom she brings along as well (!) and Chen Jing is miffed because Lili has forgotten all about her :( AND THEN Lili ignores her cry for lobster and defers to ZL's superior wisdom in dian3 cai4 because he's最会点了. ZL manages it with some finesse though, he says that Chen Jing doesn't need to be on a diet because she's already so thin (smart man) and he orders the lobster.
So maybe Chen Jing just wants her best friend back! And if she pits Li Fei against Lili, Lili will come running back to her for help?
As for 30-yr-old Internet billionaire, he's definitely not as smooth as ZL. I don't hear him throwing out any vitamin analogies. Although I guess if you're a billionaire and have the red wine-diamond-sportscar thing going on, you can afford to be the strong and silent type.
echo1
May 19, 2008, 03:01 AMI found it!
jwin
May 19, 2008, 03:47 AMYay!
now to copy and paste from the other one i created...
Our characters in summary:
Zhang Liang: Zhang Liang never seems to put up with a lot with and rarely loses his temper. He can be quite diplomatic, (calling his girlfriend's best friend thin, fairly tactfully trying to fend of li fei), he also has a penchant for excrutiatingly soppy lines (my happiest time of the day is when we are together, you are my best vitamin, etc., etc.). He is very accomodating, perhaps gullible. 他工作得很辛苦。I think we could almost call him a bit of a pushover. He seems to be led on by everyone including lili and his best 'bro'... do you think lili and the internet billionaire are having it off?
Lili and Fei Fei i think could perhaps be considered flipsides of a playboy bunny.
Lili: a badly behaved precious girlfriend. agitating her friends with excessive public displays of affection, causing scenes in shopping centres, cavorting with 30 year old billionaire exs.
Fei Fei: the obsessed co-worker. 'always talking nonsense', 'not only humerous but modest and hard working...' etc. etc. grabs on like a bull terrier that can't be shaken off. attacks on the night shift. what she lacks in feminine wiles she makes up for in persistace.
But of course the crown for Queen of Mean has to go to... Lili's best friend. 'It's not like they're married'
jwin
May 14, 2008, 09:33 AMwell i've found the discussion which is a good thing, Thanks for getting this started!
With the shopping mall thing, I was thinking something like shopping bags, but i'm not sure that they've actually succeeded in buying anything... what do you think? Costume changes... This reminds me of High School drama all over again. You know i did drama for the HSC? We'll both need to look a bit businessy, even though i might look a bit silly at work in the morning. You might want a change of sweater or jacket or something. I recon I'll bring in my typewriter, its got to be good for something.
I'm sure Zhang Liang knows Li Fei is hitting on him, but it certainly is an awkward conversation. I guess he's being all honorable (he's got a girlfriend) or he just doesn't like her that much, or he's in shock - she's pretty assertive! maybe all of the above? He just tries to waffle his way out of it, but she's very persistant!
In the 'Lover's Spat' the lesson talks about the 'turning point' of the conversation, which i think is something worth considering. What do you think? It seems to me to be where Zhang Liang loses his patience with lili's shopping habits "我真搞不懂女人" and i sympathise, i hate shopping.
I still have to take a look at the other lessons too. luckily An Laoshi has extended this thing until monday.
See you tomorrow!