User Comments - frosty1

Posted on: Car Crash

This kind of situation actually happened to me -- back in 86 -- when I was riding a bicycle in Beijing. As I was going along, a woman (stocky, probably in her 40s) stepped directly in front of me -- in what looked to me like a calculated move.

I braked but couldn't avoid hitting her -- not very hard at all, but she went to ground as if she were shot. Same scene as in the dialog followed -- when I went over to her she started moaning and groaning as if she would never recover. When she finally got to her feet, she wanted money to cover her "medical expenses".

By that time a whole crowd of people had gathered to enjoy the goings on. A friendly bystander intervened on my behalf and said if she were hurt so badly we should take her to the hospital. She, of course, was having none of that -- obviously not wanting to lose the opportunity of making a fast buck.

So, between me not wanting to get involved in red tape, and she wanting to make whatever she could out of the situation, we negotiated a price (much lower than what she originally demanded), and were both on our way.

Posted on: Travel by Tour Group

我的經驗是導遊帶你到什麼地方購物要是不是他的親戚就是一個地方達給他一個回扣.

Posted on: Meeting the Girlfriend's Parents

When I met my girl friend's (now my wife's) parents for the first time I wore a suit and brought an expensive bottle of cognac for a gift. In my experience, doing things that way makes a really good impression.

Posted on: Going to Wudang Mountain

I went there in 1986 -- back then, not all areas of China were open to single travellers and I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to go -- but fortuantely, they had just opened it up to us.

As an avid Taiji practioner (my teacher, in his droll-humor kind of way, nicknamed me 長三風), it was a place I had read about and dreamed of going to for years.

Climbing up was a trip in itself what with hundreds on hundreds of people all organized into their association groups with their banners and outfits (it was the Lunar New Year so the place was packed with tour groups).

Being there and seeing it with my eyes proved to be even better than I hoped it would be. Seeing excuter's photos brought the memories back.

RJF

Posted on: Hot Pot Chitchat

Hot pot is all the rage in winter around here. Frankly, eating boiled food leaves me cold (pun intended). What with going out to eat with co-workers and friends, it is hard to avoid -- but I try my best.

Posted on: Funny Business 5

I believe Lao Wang is a sentimental old softie underneath it all -- now on to the lesson to find out if I have him figured right....

Posted on: Jewish Holiday

According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5769.

According to the Chinese calendar, the year is 4706.

This means that the Jews went without Chinese food for 1,063  years.

This period was known as the Dark Ages...

SHANA TOVAH everyone!

Posted on: Jewish Holiday

to mmgalitz:

Thanks very much for that link. When my grandmother brought her 5 little daughters to America from Russia they stayed in Harbin for several weeks until they could move on -- eventually getting a boat to Yokohama and then on across the Pacific.

RJF

Posted on: Amusement Park

I have heard the term 雲霄飛車 (云霄飞车) used to refer to a roller coaster.

Good job on the new Exercise page -- I really like the new format. Two comments:

1. I'd like to be able to score each section separately (like before).

2. Clicking the 'Traditional' option only seems to affect the Matching section -- the other sections keep their Simplified characters.

RJF

Posted on: Gone Fishing

missworldtraveler:

Even though we say "riverside" for 河边; the 边 doesn't really mean "side"; it means something more like "edge" -- so, the "river's edge", would be a more literal translation.