Posted on: Student or Teacher?

@Pete I mostly hear Taiwanese ladies calling their husbands 我的先生 / wǒde xiānshēng

Posted on: Hungry Travelers and Baby Issues!

The Lesson sets for Series are currently in the process of being updated. Thanks. :-)

Posted on: Hungry Travelers and Baby Issues!

Here's a link to the Instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing to 'Email Notifications' post.

Email Notifications: Subscribing and Unsubscribing

Posted on: What's Your Surname?

My Chinese sobriquet (阿麦 / Ā Mài) is an adpation of an unbearable transliteration of my English name.

The result is a little provincial (土/tǔ), but endearing (可爱/kěài).

I don't feel the need to have a full authentic Chinese name, I already have a perfectly good surname and first name in my mother tongue.

Posted on: The Final Show

@leeht Thanks for being so predictable, it actually is a comfort to know that some things in this world are rock solid. I'm serious. :)

Posted on: The Final Show

@Henning Whilst I understand where you are coming from, some of our users needed this process to confront their sense of loss, accept the situation, and bring closure to this whole saga. Sure it was less than ideal, but it is REAL. It happened. Should we just hit delete? It's gone beyond the 'nip it in the bud' stage, and we (I) try to avoid censoring mass debates.

Petty quarrels and feuds are another matter entirely...

Posted on: The Final Show

Disclaimer: I never met Amber, I enjoyed her show.

The weather changes, people's lives change, people's employment changes, our perspectives change.

Regardless of where a person may be now/what they are doing - if they have made a huge contribution, that is an immutable truth.

We shouldn't expect people to share their private reasons for their decisions, and be upset when they choose to keep private things, well, private.

The fact that a person would then go on to work for the competition is, unless prohibited by contractual obligations, of no consequence. It's a dog eat dog world out there - you do what you gotta do.

This might get me into trouble with some of you, but what the hell: I understand how some people feel let down, but I don't see how someone who worked so hard to bring you such a great show, still owes in depth explanations and justifications for what is essentialy a personal decision. Haven't they already given so much? Sure, dissappointment is natural, but why can't we say "Thanks for all the good times, saying goodbye is hard, best of luck in whatever you do."

When you have a new job, it becomes your new priority. I'm so glad to have ChinesePod as my priority, because ChinesePod ROCKS! :D

Matt Coleman

ChinesePod Product Manager.

Posted on: Hot Pot

@luolina27 That surprises me, I thought that there was a wide variety of chillies in Mexico. The Habanero, for example, was considered the spiciest chilli in the world - before the Indian 'Naga Jolokia aka Ghost Chilli' was officially discovered.

@sebire My friends in Australia all call it steamboat. The particular hot pot/steamboat you are talking about is called a 'Mongolian hotpot' - looks like a volcanic island in a lake of yumminess. :)

@jimijames Fred Astaire? Dude... :p

Posted on: June Will Be CPod's Greatest Month Yet!

@frances You know, I never actully thought about watermelon and banana smoothies causeing intestinal distress. Next time I make a watermelon and banana smoothie - I'll try and pay attention to my tummy to see if there is a reaction. In the past there may have been but I wrote it off as being the food I'd eaten. :)

Posted on: Hot Pot

If only flickr was up and running here in China, I'd post a whole bunch of delectable hotpot pics.

When I was in 河北 Héběi, my Huí mates and I used to have 涮羊肉 Shuànyángròu (Mongolian Hotpot) quite often. Another of my 泊头 / Bótóu (the place I used to live in, in 河北 Héběi)  favourites was  麻辣鸡火锅 málàjī huǒguō.