Look Out, Knock Head!

McDonald’s With Chinese Characteristics

Mike Newton — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 14:21:27 +0000

I have a confession: I eat at McDonald’s. There’s something about that 15 kuai (~$2.50) lunch meal that gets me when I’m weak! Or maybe it’s their 24/7 delivery service that brings me soggy McDonald’s anywhere in the city? Whatever the reason, I have been known to find solace beneath the golden arches from time [...]

Down Your Sister’s Rain: Heavy Storms in Beijing [VIDEO]

Mike Newton — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:58:15 +0000

As my co-workers who had just left work began streaming back into the office carrying on about “heavy rain” outside, I didn’t think it was much cause for concern. You see, historically I’ve found our two definitions of “heavy” rain tend to differ. You can imagine my surprise when I stepped outside into what looked [...]

What the Hell Did I Just Watch: My Little Pony in Chinese

Mike Newton — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:38:09 +0000

There comes a time in every young boy’s life when he must ask himself: am I ready to become a man? What comes next is a journey of self-discovery during which the young man must push himself to his limits and tests his meddle in the red-hot fires of manhood. Today I wrote another chapter [...]

4 Reasons Why I Love China

Mike Newton — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:09:27 +0000

This post goes out to my friend Heidi, who suggested that after my last post detailing the difficulties faced living in China I write something a bit more uplifting to remind us all why we’re still here. So, here it is. This one’s for you, Heidi! My time in China, a little over a year [...]

Flow Like Water: A Foreigner’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving in Beijing

Mike Newton — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:29:51 +0000

Being a foreigner in China comes with a unique set of advantages and challenges. I’ve had opportunities to do some really cool things in this country just because I’m foreign, but I also have to face up to stereotypes that Chinese have of foreigners, pointing and staring, and people talking about me not only behind [...]

Move To The Back: Rainy Days And Beijing Buses

Mike Newton — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:05:57 +0000

Grey skies hang over Beijing like they have for much of the last week. The air has a cool, damp feel to it, hinting at rain that may or may not come. The Beijing weather seems to be stuck in a perpetual pout as though it has yet to decide whether or not its current [...]

3 Things I Learned About My Chinese By Recording A Video

Mike Newton — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:56:56 +0000

It’s probably hard to overstate the value of using recordings as a tool for learning foreign language and also as a check on your language learning progress. It’s also hard to overstate how awkward and uncomfortable an experience it can be. Fortunately for you, I’ve done it so you don’t have to. Actually, you still [...]

Facebook Quietly Adds A Translate Feature

Mike Newton — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 11:02:27 +0000

It seems that Facebook has quietly integrated translation features powered by Bing when no one was looking. Just a short bit ago I loaded up Facebook and right on top was a post from an Italian friend of mine written, as one might expect, in Italian. I was about to cruise past it when I [...]

[Chinese] Saturday, March 31 2012 @ 10 AM EST

Mike Newton — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 02:19:47 +0000

Bam! New language hangout. I fell off the wagon a while back and it’s time to get back in the saddle and ride this language hangout pony into awesome land. (I’m a little excited, can you tell?) Don’t remember what the language hangout is all about? Read this right meow. The target language of this [...]

I Never Wanted To Learn Chinese

Mike Newton — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:22:27 +0000

Earlier today I came across a nice post by Hugh Griggs (also known as East Asia Student) about how he started to study Chinese. His post got me thinking about my own journey to studying Chinese and I thought I’d share. “Chinese is too hard and it sounds ugly.” This was the rationale I [...]