Awareness & early detection

Some stuff in the world seems to pass you by as if it will never apply to yourself, only to other people.Breast Cancer is a disease of epidemic proportions, but in the last decade or so a great deal of progress has been made in the treatment of it.
The key is to be aware of the risks, detection and tests out there. It really is something that is very beatable if picked up early.

Awareness. Not just women, but their men too. Everyone needs to educate themselves a little bit more than from what they think they know.

Take some time now to read this site BreastCancer.org. Be aware of what to look for. Get regular checks. Get anything odd checked early. Get second opinions and be suspicious of anything until it's cleared.

Awareness will save a life.

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

Safekeeping

Warning: GEEK ALERT

My mission is to get ALL on the stuff I care about OFF my computer.

I am in the process of putting all my MP3s, Photos and Videos (mainly AVI copies of my DVDs) onto Network Storage device (AKA Portable hard drive hooked up to my home network). That way, PC's on my home network(up to 4: [1 decent one,1 semi decent, 2 shitters] in various places now) can access that stuff, which is pretty handy (think: choosing a DVD to watch in bed on the laptop wirelessly, accessing the whole MP3 library wirelessly, sharing some photos on the TV etc etc - all at the same time.)
So that is the media taken care of. What about emails? MS Outlook famously sucks at not easily allowing multiple machines to access a single Outlook account. I decided that online mail WOULD allow multi location (simultaneously if needed)access to a common email account, which is just one reason I have converted the whole Truant house to Gmail.
I have been raving about Gmail for a while and after 18 months or so of using it I am convinced that it's actually safer to keep stuff like emails and documents online as opposed to locally on your own computer. The main advantages for me is now I don't need to worry about backing up my data if/when my PC crashes. Sure, I could run RAID and be more diligent with backing up stuff, but after a while having DVDs of data sitting around isn't exactly ideal either - you could lose it, or it could fall into the wrong hands. Anyway, I digress.
But what about the OLD outlook emails? Wouldn't it be nice to put them on my Gmail so I can really get rid of all that old stored stuff?

After a bit of investigation I found out how to do it. I mean properly, not some half assed 'forwarding' type of solution.

Living Homes

Wow. It's not that often that a website blows me.....away, but here it is: Living Homes.net
It's another modular building company, but as you'll see these guys are hitting it hard. Serious eco responsibility theme going on here. This is architecture, design and technology blended together perfectly. Awesome.

Go and check out that website tho, seriously. It's really cool. The front page is made up of timelapsed sequences showing the house through out the day.
There is a video showing a cool time lapse sequence of the house being erected on the site in 8 hrs.

It worth having a poke around at other things, particularly take the tour.

LivingHomes.net

Plug + Play Construction

This interesting article in wired magazine reminds me of something I have thought about for years: Modular housing. The concept itself isn't new, but previously it's been done only to a certain level.

This "Loblolly" house by kierantimberlake.com is a prototype of a true plug and play house which incorporates wiring, communications, plumbing, heating etc into the wall, floor and roof modules.

"THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY to construct a house is to build it in a factory. This reduces a home's "embodied energy" – the amount of power expended in its fabrication and construction. And conventional homebuilding is dirty work. From the fuel used by commuting workers to onsite diesel generators, the construction and operation of homes and other structures generates 40 to 50 percent of all the greenhouse gases in the US, according to the US Energy Information Administration."

Wired Magazine Article
Loblolly House homepage

Simplistic Theory #2: Units of Time

Being the simplistic fella that I am, I link to come up with theories that measure certain sides of life, and in doing so, try to work out the best way to learn from the past to get the most out of the future.

One simplistic theory I came up with maybe 20 years ago was the theory of People Categories. It's highly un-PC, but it's the science of categorising a complete stranger based on how they look and act and comparing that data to what you already know. Basically, it helps determine how to deal with that person, what they are likely to enjoy or dislike, whether they are more likely to be a dick or an asshole.....that sort of thing. But that is Simplistic Theory #1, which I will go into detail another day.

Simplistic Theory #2 is the Theory of Units of time. Having been fortunate enough to live and work in different countries, I have picked up on a very little observed phenomin, fenomin, phanomin thing. The unit of time you need to work to is determined by your lifestyle. Lemme explain....
In NZ for example, you can drive anywhere in most citys in about 20mins, you can generally park right out the front FOR FREE, Stores are generally deserted. What this means is you can do ANYTHING in a unit of time that is 30mins long. Sometimes you might need 2 units, say meeting a friend for coffee. 3 units for a nice meal, 4 units to go have a BBQ at the beach. You get the idea. In Singapore, the unit was closer to 1 hr. London it was 2 hrs, Here in Taiwan, it's closer to about 3hrs.
I think I have worked out the pattern here, and here is the formula:

The quality of a lifestyle is inversely proportional to the unit of time used to maintain it.

WTF? Well, I think it should be an aim in life to get your unit of time down to as small as possible. Why? Well, think about when you try to hook up with friends, how it sometimes seems impossible to get a slot that matches. If I need 1 unit of time to go and buy a magazine here in Taiwan, then fitting in a coffee is going to be another 1 unit of time, so 6 hrs total. That's a big chunk of a day man....no can do. Let's do coffee July 23, 2009 at 2pm.
In NZ, a buddy want's to meet for Fish and Chips at the Marina?..no problem, be there in half an hour. With the food. And Beers.

What is the main cause of this? Well different places have different factors, such as population, congestion, weather, language barriers, scooters everywhere, notoriously bad punctuality...blah, blah. It all contributes to the required unit of time of a given place, which can be improved on with personal innovation.

So, why should we try to get our units of time down? Well, you get more out of life, that's why.

categories: [living_][strange_][thoughts_]

The Best Photographer You've Never Heard Of

Stephen Kennedy

Check out this guy's portrait photography. These are not famous people, just ordinary folks in ordinary situations. What is so amazing about these shots? The lighting is fantastic, the focus is pin sharp, the composition is incredible, the depth of field is perfect. Even though technically the shots are brilliant, the magic is in the interaction the photographer has with the subject, it's outstanding.

Have a look at some of the portraits on his website, they're pretty cool.






StephenKennedy.com

The Happy New House

Architecture is interesting. People that are into Architecture are interesting....well I think so anyway.

Check out this. thehappynewhouse.com

My wife and I are remodeling the house we’ve lived in for the last sixteen years. We moved in before pets. Before kids. Before the internet.

We couldn’t afford the house when we bought it. Now, we can sort of afford it. We just can’t all fit inside of it. (We have three children -- two of whom are teenagers.)

So we’ve decided to build. Up. And out. More rooms. More showers. And most importantly, more places for us to accidentally bump into one another. Places to gather, to play, to sleep, to work on our laptops, to push back the furniture + dance, to hide from each other, to eat, to laugh, to live. In short, more opportunities -- under a single roof -- to connect with one another as a family.

It's an interesting website, and got a cool feel about it too.

thehappynewhouse.com
Check out the 'work in progress' section for all the shots of tools n concrete n steel n wood n stuff.

Lean on me

I like design ideas, and hanging out in design type stores. I even like going to IKEA.Anyway, Room Safari is a German design company with some pretty groovy ideas. This shot shows their Leanon coatrack , which is made to lean anywhere against a wall. Also shown in this pic are their Musical Triangle coathangers.

roomsafari.com

Solaire 56 Inch Gas Grill On Refrigerated Cart

This large 56″ Solaire grill will not just churn-up enough stuff for your barbeque party but will serve your chilled beer needs too with its integrated refrigerated base cabinet. The grill is made in stainless steel and it features two ceramic infrared burners and one double-lanced ported U-burner totaling 82,500 BTU. The unit includes 18,000 BTU infrared rear burner with heavy-duty rotisserie motor, spit rod, and forks. The refrigerator features door section with adjustable shelves and two drawers with removable stainless steel food pans. The unique chill and grill unit sells for $13,699 USD.

Oh yeah. There's a Binford moment for ya.

Everyone needs a spiral cellar

OK. The weekend after I make the DIY wind generator, I am going to make one of these with my Dremel. (the fact that right below truantpad is fatnazidoghatingtaiwaneseman only encourages me to pursue this...)

From spiralcellars.com:
The Spiral Cellar system was first developed by a Frenchman, Georges Harnois, in 1978, who recognised that few modern houses had cellars, but people still wanted somewhere to store their wine.

It can keep up to 1,600 bottles in ideal storage conditions and since, like a traditional cellar, it relies on the surrounding earth for its insulation, plus an ingenious air-flow system, it requires no power to maintain its constant temperature.

Hmm, interesting. No really it is. I have always liked the idea of trap doors n shit like that. That's one problem with 20th & 21st Century buildings I find: lack of decent trapdoors.

Perhaps this is the next thing to be incorporated into the design of truantville. Would be quite handy for putting annoying visitor's children.

But...check out these quotes from the site. A bit of a worry:

"The cellar in the garage has been such a success, my husband has decided he'd like to install a second one in the kitchen" Jolly good, eh what?!

"Having a proper wine cellar is like a badge of honor that proves you enjoy food, drink, and the finer things in life" Too rah, old chap!

What about "Cos it's wicked man" and "It's the shit"? Oh well, guess that's what I am not in marketing.

spiralcellars.com

DIY Wind Generator

I'd really like to make one of this next weekend. Seriously.

We have a 2m x 4m balcony, so I reckon I could do it. Better not, Jack likes to hang out there so if there are blades out there chopping in the wind - well, it might end in tears. Maybe up on the roof of the building....hmmm.

From the instructables website...

Chispito Wind Generator

The Chispito Wind Generator was designed to be simple and efficient with fast and easy construction. There are no limits to what you can do with wind power. There is nothing more rewarding and empowering than making a wind powered generator from scrap materials. Most of the tools and materials in this manual can be found in your local hardware shop or junk pile.

Chispito Wind Generator
A really good NZ article about converting washing machines into Wind Generators
Another excellent wind generator site

Living Off the Grid

A few of you know that I am a bit of a nut with an obsessive dream to build a house that generates it's own energy. Some call it self sufficient living, but I don't think that accurately described what I had in mind as most self sufficient people tend to have long hair, are vegans, smoke weed and live in the desert just outside of Tucson Arizona.
I'm too much of a tech addict to ever de-evolutionize (new word?) to that point.

Well, recently while reading some more about this (read: "feeding the obsession") I came across the term "Off the Grid" which I think more accurately describes the direction I'm interested in.
More importantly, I found a site outlining many of the ideas and concepts I have been thinking of.
It's put together by Glen Hunter, who with his partner started building an "Off the Grid" place in 2002. The house is made of straw, which in my opinion is a whole other issue to "off the grid" but after looking at the progress and final results I must admit I think straw houses are pretty interesting too.
The site Glen has put together outlines many many of the issues and details associated with off the grid living, for the point of view of an owner/builder who also has a 'normal' job (i.e. isn't living off the land and building full time)

Anyway, here is the link to the site. The house is in Canada, and you'll see from the pics they experience 'real' winters of -30deg with good dumpings of snow.
The major 'eco' design factor of the house is using the sun to heat a huge mass during the day, and radiating that heat back at night. On Glen's house this is achieved via a wall of windows, and a bare concrete floor. Even in the winter, the sun streams in and does it's thing. Along with this form of heating is underfloor radiant heating, and (just recently!) a very small log burner. Electrical power all comes from Solar and Wind....oh yeah.

They live over 800m from a possible grid power source, are not connected to it, and living a normal life - that's cool.

I found this site pretty inspirational. Often I feel most people don't quite get it when I mention "off the grid" - this is a great example of what I have been talking about.

The Straw House Blog
My page of interesting links for building a house

Holmes Jnr

My bro-in-law and best friend Marty and his wife Paula had a son last night.

Jordan Alexander Ritchie

Nice shot there Holmes and Holmes Jnr,

- from Holmes in Taiwan.

The myth of 20/20

I always thought 20/20 vision meant 'perfect vision', until I started this LASIK gig.

I got my eyes zapped just over a week ago and the doc said at my 1 week checkup that my vision is now 20/12. So what does that mean, am I now half blind or what?

I would appear not. According to this site the use of the term "20/20" refers to this complex calculation created by some Dutch dood called Snellen (1834-1908)

Someone with 20/20 (visual acuity) is just able to decipher a letter that subtends a visual angle of 5 minutes of arc (written 5') at the eye. (5' of arc is 5/60 of a degree, because there are 60' of arc in 1 degree.) What this means is that if you draw a line from the top of a 20/20 letter to the eye and another line from the bottom of the letter to the eye, the size of the angle at the intersection of these two lines at the eye is 5' of arc. (Also, the individual parts of the letter subtend a visual angle of 1' of arc at the eye.) It does not matter how far away something is from the eye; if it subtends an angle of 5' of arc at the eye, then a person with 20/20 visual acuity will just be able to determine what it is.

The bottom line is, 20/20 is considered to be what a person with "Normal" vision can see at 20ft. (I read a couple of sites that talked about being about to read a 20 size letter at 20 feet, but that sounds like bullshit to me). Everyone is probably familiar with Snellen's Artwork, which is known as "The Snellen Chart"

Trivia snippet:"Only the nine letters C, D, E, F, L, O, P, T, Z are used in the traditional Snellen chart"

Apparently 20/10 is extremely rare, it's almost freakish....so 20/12 is pretty damn good then. What this means is I can see an object that is 50ft away, while someone with 20/20 vision has to be 30ft away.
As you can imagine, 10 days ago I had reasonably thick glasses to correct Myopia (Nearsightedness), so I was expecting (hoping) to get 20/20 out of the LASIK zapping. To get 20/12 is beyond my wildest dreams. I am a lucky bastard, that is what.
Next time you can't quite see something, give me a call.

The most comprehensive thing about Vision Acuity I could find
A "Random Snellon" online eyetest
Buy your own Snellen chart from Amazon(you know you want to)

Traditional Wood Fired Pizza Oven

I think I have mentioned before that not having a garage in Taiwan is driving me crazy....but it's bigger than that. I mean, what do I want a garage for? To build shit, that's what.

Recently my Mum (That's Mom to those from North America) sent me a copy of a fine article out of a NZ magazine called "The Shed". The article is a step-by-step thing on how to build your own Traditional outdoor oven.
I could scan in in for you, but it's just too hard. Instead I found a pretty good site on it.

Here is one that I reckon looks cool:

More pics here

I'd actually forgotten about these things until recently, but when we were travelling around Italy in 2002, these ovens are actually the 'normal' way of cooking pizza, although usually they are built indoors. I found it fascinating to watch the doods making the dough, then turning it into Pizzas for cooking right there in the restaurant.
At the time I was thinking this would be a good addition to Truantville. I like the idea of (wait for it....the Binford idea) making a combo style, that includes a BBQ, or one that is built into a wall of the house and can be used from either inside or outside. I haven't seen that done yet, but I am sure that would be the best way to do it to avoid freezing yer ass off in the winter, or being forced to cook inside while yer mates are outside boozing on the deck in the sun. I reckon it would be great to invite people over and have them cook their own pizza, just the way they like it.

Anyway, I reckon this will be one of the FIRST things to be built on Truantville. Even if it's all there is, it gives food, warmth and a social focus....and let's face it, that's what a good home is all about right?

http://www.traditionaloven.com

Put another log on the fire

Several years ago I found a program online that contained a database of foods and exercise, and it allowed the accurate tracking of personal nutrition. It was an interesting exercise to do that for a month or so, as it really makes you think about what you are eating.
Yesterday, I did a search and found a 2006 online version called Nutridiary.

I am constantly blown away these days by what is available over the web for free. This online program is no exception. It contains a very respectable database of common foods, each with all the nutritional info. It allows the user to add custom foods (and enter the nutritional info if desired) and to build up meals of common eaten foods. The point being that there is a log feature that allows the user to add food and meals consumed, and track the amount of calories burned thru exercise.
I'm not a nutritional expert (obviously) but it's about as accurate a way of tracking this stuff as I can imagine. The graphs and reports on nutrition, exercise, weight goals etc is easy to use and slick.

A quick free registration, and you're in business.

www.nutridiary.com
Weight loss secrets

Sonicrave

I have been reading a website for about 3 years now, by a guy Rob Cockerham. The site is www.cockeyed.com. It's an interesting site full of pranks, weird experiments and lost of interesting trivia type stuff.
One of my favorite stories is the one when he tried to win a Chevy Trailblazer. Especially the Epilogue on page 3.
Anyway, he has just done a blurb on 4 awesome products and the second one he chose, was the Sonicare Toothbrush. Recently, Joyce was raving about the orgasmic Sonicare also. Both these people are semi-insane, so I take them seriously.
I had to go get one of these Sonicare toothbrushes for myself.
Firstly, I have already got a Braun Electric toothbrush and 2 days ago, I thought to myself why would I possibly need another electric toothbrush?
Rob said "If you don't have a Sonicare right now, get one when you get paid, or ask for one on your birthday. They will change your life, and probably save you money at your dentist."
Joyce said "oh,oh,ohhhhhhhhhhh.......It's the best money I've ever spent"

So that was it, I went to the 3C and got one. They had three models, but the guy subtlely pointed out the NEW model, the e7300 elite. (like I was ever going to buy any other model)

Well, firstly....it is friggen amazing....and orgasmic. They were not lying to me. I used it 6 times the first night.
So why is it so good? Let me explain. My last braun toothbrush died about 6 months ago, and when I got a new one I took the old one to bits. There wasn't much to it, just a ni-cad AA battery core and a 50 cent electric motor in it, like slotcar motor, only cheaper. They was a plastic cam arrangement (and egg shaped thing) that coverted the rotary motion into a back-and-forth jiggle. That's it. Oh yeah, and a clickclack switch to make it all happen. This is 1910 technology, people.
I haven't take the Sonicare apart (yet) but my observations indicate a few things. It has a signal type activation button, no click clack. It has beeps, it had multicolored status LEDs and programmable timer. This in DIGITAL baby - A friggen computer.
(Philips is the company that invented the CD, so it's hardly surprising)
Apart from that, it uses a classy induction charger and they say it lasts for 2 weeks between chargers, so they include a nice travel case with it - for your up-to-2-week holiday.
I have no idea what the technology is that makes the sonic head do it's digital-sonic thing, but it's amazing. I have never had teeth so clean, so easily.

So there you go. Rush out and buy one of these. It's really expensive, but if it saves one trip to the dentist, it's paid for itself like that, and I am convinced it will.

Sonicare e7300 Elite website
Cockeyed.com

Screwing with the numbers

Some people make a living out of bullshit. Meet Kenneth Lay, recently convicted in all counts of fraud charges against him in the Enron collapse.

Here's a rant. The Media and statistics.
I get pissed off when the media misquote statistics to portray a completely different intent than the numbers show.

It's easy to do - ask yourself which burger you'll eat:
1. Hamburger - contains an almost whopping 20% fat....or....
2. Hamburger - over 80% fat free to say "Hello" to your heart.

I know that is simplistic, but one does sound a whole lot better....hell, OK, I'll eat both.

Anyway, I was having a debate today with a friend about whether the NZ property market is going up, down or flat right now. The last 3 years it's been cracking 15%-18% capital gain on average each year. What that equates to is 3 years ago a 200k house x 1.18 x 1.18 x 1.18 = 328k now. It's amazing what compounding capital gain can do in a short time.
The problem is, 100s of years of history has shown us that the market is cyclical and at some point it will correct to align with the average long term 7% per annum capital gain. Those people that have entered the market within the last five years for the first time (i.e. first home buyers) cannot believe their luck and how easy it is, and why the heck they didn't do it earlier.
However those that have been in the market a bit longer can remember the days in the early 80s of 20% mortgages and years of flat or declining house values.
When I bought my first house I was 23, the mortgage rates were 12.5%, and the market was flat for about 5 years after I bought it. Hardly a crisis at the time, but even the thought of those conditions now send some people into writhing heart attacks on the floor - they just don't believe it's possible.
Consequently, I believe in the cycle, and I reckon 15-18% capital gains are not sustainable for much longer and will ultimately get many people in a great deal of financial trouble when they correct soon.

Anyway, during this debate today, we referred to an article in today's NZ paper

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3683844a13,00.html
PROPERTY INVESTORS STILL KEEN TO BUY - May 29, 2006

Many "hardcore" property investors believe now is a good time to buy investment property.

The finding comes from a survey by Kiwi Property Investor magazine and BankDirect - a member of the ASB Group - to try to find out what property investors are thinking and doing.
The 689 investors responding to the survey were divided into hardcore property investors - those with five or more properties now or with ambitions to have that many - and the rest.
Of the 203 hardcore investors, a net 30 per cent thought now was a good time to buy. But the rest leaned slightly the other way, with a net of (minus) -6 per cent thinking now was a good time.
ASB chief economist Anthony Byett said the bullish mood among the hardcore investors may be driven by perceived opportunities in a slowing market, or a confidence in their own strategies.

"Whatever their reason, these hardcore property investors are in the mood to invest - over two-thirds stated intentions to buy within the next 12 months."
BankDirect head Jim Anderson said there was an appeal to buying on price dips, and buying houses in the flatter stage of the cycle did work.
The key was to have a strategy, including a clear vision of cashflows under alternative scenarios.

Overall, 49 per cent of those taking part in the survey felt house prices would neither rise nor fall in the next 12 months. Of the remainder, a net 7 per cent thought prices would rise.

Now, if you take a closer look at that article, it is pretty misleading - especially the headline. What does "Many" mean? Does it mean most? Nope. The majority? Nadda. A good proportion? No. What "Many" means is "more than a few", so out of 600 people, "Many" can actually be, well, the minority.

This is what annoys me. Even reading the article it's easy to believe the complete opposite to the truth as stated by the numbers. I am sure this happens all the time, it's just this time it's so blatant I actually noticed.
What the article should say is this (based on their own facts):

"70% of a group of hardcore property investors believe that now is NOT a good time to buy property, according to a recent survey carried out by Kiwi Property Investment Magazine and Bank Direct.
The majority of investors surveyed believe that property value will neither rise or fall over the next 12 months, and of those that believe prices will actually move, and incredible 93% believe prices will decline"

I reckon there should be a law against this sort of thing. I mean, if you're not going to represent the facts then it's blatant bullshit to mislead in such a manner.

I like conspiracy theories. It must be the government.
Who again carried out the survey? Oh yeah an investor magazine and a bank, both organisations make the most cash when investors buy property. I guess they can't just hide the results now can they - they've gotta dress them up a little.

Mutton into Lamb or something like that.

Wiki article on Kenneth Lay and Enron

I rike it. I rike it a rot.

If you take a look over at the links there on the right ->
you'll see the word "Frashcards." With an 'r' not an 'l'. It's not a typo, as bad as my typing often is, I actually meant to type it that way.
I have no idea what you'd call it, but in Asia is pretty normal to pronouce english words contain an 'L' or an 'R' around the wrong way.

Hurro. I rike you, no, I ruv you. A rot.

The reason I mention this is I was looking through the blog search statistics, and someone in Japan used yahoo to find this site by typing in "FRASHCARDS". HAHAHAHAHAHA.

See?














It's all to do with the make up of the sound bytes that we learn when we are younger and learning our mother tongue. In chinese, there are 37 sounds that make up the intials and finals of spoken characters. It's known as Bo-Po-Ma-Fa and it's about as close as you could get to the alphabet in Engrish...meaning each sound on it's own usually means nothing. Like B in engrish (on hangon that means something), or P (whoops that too), i (...mmm.), q (yep), x. Yeah like x.
Bearing in mind that I am an engineer, not a liguistics expert, I will continue in saying that at a very early age, learning the BPMF is the foundation of the Chinese language.
Now, it's normal to pronounce a word based on the collection of sounds you are programmed with, and if the BPMF does not have a certain sound we would say in Engrish, then the next closest sound is used.
Native engrish speakers do the same thing when we learn chinese. There are some sounds that are extremely uncomfortable to say for us, due to the way we have learnt to position our tongue....So, when a native engrish speaker speaks in chinese, it can be quite difficult for a native chinese to understand WTF is being said. If you are fortunate enough to be a New Zealander, then no one understands you when you speak engrish, let alone any other language, so you'll be conditioned to it.

Add in the mix that every sound in Chinese has a one of 5 tones (for mandarin) then things get kinda messy. Taiwanese has 9 tones apparently....sheesh.

Sometimes when I ask a chinese speaking friend to interpret for me, I am amazed at how long a dialogue can go on for to get a simple answer. If I could understand more chinese maybe I could translate the diarog myself and it would make sense.
e.g.

1: Yo blood, what's happenin brother?
2: Did you just call me lover brother?
1: I aint got no brother.
2: Then why did you say I'm your lover's brother?
1: Well, it's a blue truck that one.
2: No, wednesday man.
1: Ok, you got it.

And the answer to my question is "Yes". Phew.

So, this is a world wide phenomen, fenomun, phinomin thing, and any way you look at it, it's damn funny. A buddy of mine happens to be a canasian (candian asian) and is perfectly fluent in both Engrish and Chongwen. I think she's an expert in the "L" and the "R" thing. It's pure art when done plopery.

Whenever I have had a long break from chinese lessons and I go back to class, things are a bit rusty.

So I say this to my teacher : "I'm a bit lusty today don't you think?"
Of course, she always agrees: "Yes, you are quite lusty today."

That's an honest answer to an honest question, really.

Chinese tones, initials, finals n shit like that
Gene Simmon's Tongue Transplant
Pork Rind for sale on Ebay that looks like a tongue