Hong Kong Disneyland turns to a Halloween theme for the evenings of September 18-October 31, 2009. I’ll try to check it out and let you know if it compares to the Knott’s Berry Farm Halloween themes back in California.
Check out Disney’s previews at:
http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/html/Halloween/en_US/
Lady Gaga performed in Macau at the Sands Venetian Casino (where I work with Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA show) as the final concert of her tour. There is an interview released by CNN here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/25/lady.gaga/index.html?iref=intlOnlyonCNN
Lady Gaga attended our Cirque ZAIA show the night before her performance.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFZHpzTNzK4
Whoops…wrong answer.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pfTfMoR8sg
“Everything I Own” performed by David Gates from Bread. The audio is a bit poor but I love the live performance footage. There are many people that sing good copies of David Gates’ voice on YouTube, but the performances don’t give me the shivers and goosebumps like David Gates’ vocals do.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24IfD-0VUu4
“The Diary” by David Gates of Bread. This song has always moved me so much. I’ve probably heard it a thousand times in my life. Each time I listen, I pretend I don’t know how the story is going to end. And then I get a little tear at the very end. I like the experience, it’s sweet.
Continue reading “Songs by David Gates of Bread and Asian Relationships”
I’m on week six now of private Mandarin Chinese lessons. Everyone says the best way to learn is just to jump in and make a fool of yourself, which I have been doing to excess. I thought I’d share some of my faux pas that were “Lost in Translation”.
Someone asked me what they call “Chinese food” in China, or Chinese restaurants. It may be a shock to learn that it is called “food” and Chinese restaurants are called “restaurants” (I guess).
But on the same note if you pick up any product in a store in China there is no little sticker that says “Made in China”. Instead, I presume to save ink, it just says “Made Here”. 🙂
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8pJVJKk7PM
My Mandarin teacher is having me learn this song in Mandarin: 听海 – 张惠妹. I’ll let you know how it goes. Here’s a rough English translation:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPl-R0nT3EQ
Indian movie stars at the “green carpet” outside the ZAIA Cirque Du Soleil Theater in Macau, China at the Sands Venetian June 11, 2009. The Bachchan family, as well as other dazzling stars, are greeted on the green carpet for the 10th Annual IIFA awards in Macau.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMpKaO5gQ5A
In this “part one” video you will also see some photo shots of Cirque Du Soleil “ZAIA” artists.
Continue reading “Bollywood stars descend in Macau for IIFA 2009”
This is big news: Speaking Mandarin saved me 25 cents today.
I was at a well known food establishment today (I won’t say the name, but it rhymes with “McFonald’s”). I am practicing my Mandarin (week two of lessons, yeah!) and asked them “How much?”. Then said, “Lower price, is it ok?”. Of course I knew they would say no, after all, it was “McFonald’s”. They were so happy I was speaking Chinese that they actually gave me a free meal upgrade. An upgrade of two MOP, or 25 cents USD. I feel very rich today.
On a sidenote, someone is encouraging me to take a video each week as I study Mandarin to show what I can say. I’ve done one minute videos the first two weeks, and it’s very embarrassing. But you’ll probably see them posted here soon because I think it’s very funny to watch myself try and speak Mandarin. I’m learning to write Chinese too. Fun stuff! (Though I’m admittedly very bad at it).
I’ve lived in China over a year now and I don’t know any Cantonese or Mandarin. Surprisingly it’s been difficult to find a private tutor for Mandarin. Cantonese is the main language spoken where I live (Macau and Hong Kong), but variations of Mandarin are spoken throughout China. I had an interpreter tell me the best way to learn is to start with Mandarin and then go into Cantonese. Mandarin has four tones and Cantonese has nine.
Continue reading “My First Private Lesson in Mandarin Chinese”