Culture Shock & Language Check

Keep the feedback coming!  (You know my e-mail address) Or you can post a comment.

A lot of you have visited this blog - I'm glad it's of some use.  I will change the template/design when I have the time to devote.

It's easy for me to know what to write.  I edit my responses to some of the feedback I'm getting.  I incorporate my updates from the responses I'm giving to some of the e-mail I receive.  Don't worry, I won't divulge who I'm being inspired from.

Culture Shock dept.
Not yet - 9 days and counting.
 I think my eye is getting more sensitive to the variations in Asian faces.  Having to look for my aunt/uncle in a crowd is becoming easier and easier.  Odd eh? I think I know why. I read in Discover magazine how cultures are more sensitive to variations in the faces of the culture they are familiar with. This sounds very logical, of course, but considering the anthropocentric western view that there is little variation among asians, they found out that Asians see little variation, or can distinguish with less success the faces of caucasians.   A friend of mine studying Anthropology provided me with an analogy - when starting to taste wine, they all taste the same. As you become more accustomed, one's sense becomes more sensitive (or discriminating, would be the proper term).  I don't drink wine and they all taste disgusting, but I can tell you that I know my beer.

I've noticed more and more; there's a 13th floor in buildings, bugs can be damn big, the plugs and sockets are real big, asian music sucks, and that yes indeed - the weather can get hotter.  Also, you can just about cook anything with its back to the sky and find it at Hong Kong in a dish, bowl, or displayed as an award in the window of a butcher shop.

Language check dept.
They speak Cantonese here.  If I have my facts correct "Cantonese" refers to "Canton" which is supposed to refer to "Guangdong" which is the province of China along the south of China and just north of Hong Kong. The name is screwed up, sorta like how Peking is supposed to be Beijing. 

Everybody learns English as a second language at school.  It's odd -  they learn it at school, but never practice it.  They know English much better than they would let on actually.  If people would have more confidence and dared to try, they could get along quite well in English.  But I don't mind trying to communicate with the locals.  They understand me, but I can't understand them.  Like I'm an English radio. 

That's all for now. 
Want a neat hip-hop/record mixing/dj mix incorporating chinese influence?  Has that weird chinese instrument and samples of English and Chinese voices in it.   From Kid Koala, coincidentally enough, of Montreal.
Search for: Kid Koala Side A: Emperors Main Course