This is an old video but it is still relevant. There were views of well-known Chinese opera personalities - Sng Poh Yoke, Joanna Wong, Lou Mee Wah and Chua Soo Pong.
September 30, 2010
September 26, 2010
gau
At the hawkers' centre I heard a woman telling an older woman in Cantonese "stir your drink first". In Cantonese stir is gau. Then I thought of three other words which are pronounced the same way in Cantonese.
How would you say this in Cantonese: A boy named Ah Gau plays with nine puppies.
It is Gau Chye gau gau jet gau chye.
Gau can be play, nine or dog. Chye can be son or boy, or baby animal.
Furthermore, gau with slightly different intonations can mean:
to teach, to hand over something to another person, glue, a piece of thing, old (refer to things)
September 24, 2010
September 20, 2010
The Majestic
This is the former Majestic Theatre in Chinatown. I think the picture was taken just a few years ago. The picture is from this site - http://travelerfolio.com/places/singapore/. This site has many beautiful photos of sights and happenings in Singapore.
Last Saturday I saw this signboard and went in thinking there would be new shops after the renovation. I was wrong. All three levels have become the premises of Singapore Turf Club. It is now one of its betting centres/outlets.
Last Saturday I saw this signboard and went in thinking there would be new shops after the renovation. I was wrong. All three levels have become the premises of Singapore Turf Club. It is now one of its betting centres/outlets.
September 18, 2010
RA films
I have not seen this film, but I think this belongs to the RA or R21 category. I am not in favour of showing these films in cinemas in the heartland.
Quite common to hear this "You cannot control it. It is easily available on the Internet." It is the reason some people give for allowing R21 movies at cinemas in HDB estates.
I don't agree that if something is readily available on the Internet, then you can allow it in our society or make it easier for people to get it. There are a lot of trash on the Internet.
The Review Committee said something like "let adults make informed choice". I don't quite understand what it means.
Quite common to hear this "You cannot control it. It is easily available on the Internet." It is the reason some people give for allowing R21 movies at cinemas in HDB estates.
I don't agree that if something is readily available on the Internet, then you can allow it in our society or make it easier for people to get it. There are a lot of trash on the Internet.
The Review Committee said something like "let adults make informed choice". I don't quite understand what it means.
September 16, 2010
September 14, 2010
chuan and chuang
I realized that some people came upon this blog when they were searching for "qiang jian" because I have a post with this title. In it I was referring to the show in picture 1. I guess some people were probably thinking of something like in picture 2.
bao yu
I was listening to the Mandarin news on TV. The reader said "There are bao yu in this part of China."
Do you know what bao yu is?
No, not abalone; it is rainstorms.
chuan and chuang
Can you pronounce the above two words correctly?
If you ask the beautiful Chinese tour guide "Miss, when can we shang chuang?", you might get a scolding from her. It means you are asking her what time she can go to bed with you. (Shang means to go up.)
It should be "shang chuan". It means what time we (the tourists) can board the ferry or boat.
bao yu
I was listening to the Mandarin news on TV. The reader said "There are bao yu in this part of China."
Do you know what bao yu is?
No, not abalone; it is rainstorms.
chuan and chuang
Can you pronounce the above two words correctly?
If you ask the beautiful Chinese tour guide "Miss, when can we shang chuang?", you might get a scolding from her. It means you are asking her what time she can go to bed with you. (Shang means to go up.)
It should be "shang chuan". It means what time we (the tourists) can board the ferry or boat.
September 12, 2010
schoolgirl uniform
First, about this yellow box I mentioned in the second post below this. It is meant for visually-impaired persons. I have tried it out. When you put your fingers under the box, you can feel something vibrating when the green man is on. At the same time you can also hear sound like that of an alarm bell ringing. I suppose the vibrations and the sound tell the VIP he can cross the road.
You have seen pictures of tourist attractions in HK. I guess you have not seen this - schoolgirls in uniform (see pictures below). The uniform looks conservative. At the bottom, it extends well beyond the knees and at the top, there is a button right up at the neck. White socks, black shoes and the girls wear their hair in plaits, like those you see in some Chinese period drama.
Ladies, does it remind you of your school days?
The girls were waiting at a bus-stop. Remember what I said in a previous post - bus-stops in HK have no seats. I'm not sure if there are exceptions.
You have seen pictures of tourist attractions in HK. I guess you have not seen this - schoolgirls in uniform (see pictures below). The uniform looks conservative. At the bottom, it extends well beyond the knees and at the top, there is a button right up at the neck. White socks, black shoes and the girls wear their hair in plaits, like those you see in some Chinese period drama.
Ladies, does it remind you of your school days?
The girls were waiting at a bus-stop. Remember what I said in a previous post - bus-stops in HK have no seats. I'm not sure if there are exceptions.
September 10, 2010
Unflattering Hong Kong
I was at this eatery. I saw the 'cook' scooping up some meat from the pot. When some fell onto the area outside the pot, he just picked them up with his bare hand and threw them back into the pot. I think this is the usual thing he does.
'Due' is the Cantonese word having the same meaning as the offensive four-letter English word. It is not unusual or uncommon to hear it in HK. Not just from elderly men but younger men too, like office workers walking along the streets and middle-aged men at roadside magazine stalls.
When I was in HK there were still lots of news in the Chinese media about the HK hostages killed in Manila. Sentiments were also strong. From some of these reports and comments, you would have the impression that HK people think that they are superior and that the Filipinos are an incompetent lot. One writer used the Philippine currency as illustration. He said in the past the Philippine currency used to be very strong in exchange for the US dollar but because of corruption and incompetence of the governments it has become very weak. I wonder how much the writer knows about economics or Philippine history and culture.
Remember some time last year, 57 Filipinos were massacred by a powerful family with political connections in the Philippines. Three days ago, the accused went on trail. It will take a long time and if they are ever found guilty, I guess they will only get light sentences. This is just one case showing that Filipinos themselves suffer because of a weak, inept government and an inefficient system.
The anger and anguish of HK people is understandable but I believe a little understanding and forgiveness would help too.
'Due' is the Cantonese word having the same meaning as the offensive four-letter English word. It is not unusual or uncommon to hear it in HK. Not just from elderly men but younger men too, like office workers walking along the streets and middle-aged men at roadside magazine stalls.
When I was in HK there were still lots of news in the Chinese media about the HK hostages killed in Manila. Sentiments were also strong. From some of these reports and comments, you would have the impression that HK people think that they are superior and that the Filipinos are an incompetent lot. One writer used the Philippine currency as illustration. He said in the past the Philippine currency used to be very strong in exchange for the US dollar but because of corruption and incompetence of the governments it has become very weak. I wonder how much the writer knows about economics or Philippine history and culture.
Remember some time last year, 57 Filipinos were massacred by a powerful family with political connections in the Philippines. Three days ago, the accused went on trail. It will take a long time and if they are ever found guilty, I guess they will only get light sentences. This is just one case showing that Filipinos themselves suffer because of a weak, inept government and an inefficient system.
The anger and anguish of HK people is understandable but I believe a little understanding and forgiveness would help too.
September 08, 2010
Hong Kong snippets
This scissors (see picture below) was in my wallet which was in a pocket at the front of my trousers. But, the scissors was not detected by the security screenings at the Hong Kong Airport. If not, I think they wouldn't let me take it into the plane.
It was not intentional; I forgot to put it in the check-in luggage.
This yellow box (see picture below) can be found on the posts of some traffic lights in HK. I only noticed it after Miko mentioned it in a post in her blog some time ago. What do you think the box is for? ( I will tell you in another post.)
I saw a woman, probably a tourist, tapped on it and when nothing happened, she pressed it and then squeezed it. Still nothing happened.
Here is a Then and Now. This is from the Tiger Airways Magazine (Sep-Oct 2010).
It was not intentional; I forgot to put it in the check-in luggage.
This yellow box (see picture below) can be found on the posts of some traffic lights in HK. I only noticed it after Miko mentioned it in a post in her blog some time ago. What do you think the box is for? ( I will tell you in another post.)
I saw a woman, probably a tourist, tapped on it and when nothing happened, she pressed it and then squeezed it. Still nothing happened.
Here is a Then and Now. This is from the Tiger Airways Magazine (Sep-Oct 2010).
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