Adventures in Japanese

The second stop on our three-country Asia tour will take us to Fukuoka, Japan.  After getting a primer on Suggestions for Daily Life: Rules and Manners* through informative (and amusing) videos for visitors to Fukuoka -- like the importance of being considerate in the spirit of "wa", or "thinking of others" -- I started compiling a list of useful Japanese phrases, similar to the one for Cantonese.  Here are my Top 20:

1. Hello.  今日は (konnichiwa)
2. How are you?  お元気ですか？ (o genki desu ka?)
3. I'm fine, thanks.  And you?   はい、元気です。あなたは？ (hai, genki desu. anata wa?)
4. What's your name?   お名前はなんですか? (o-namae wa nan desu ka?)
5. My name is...   ...です (...desu)
6. Where are you from?   どちらからですか (dochira kara desu ka?)
7. I'm from...   私は ... からです (watashi wa... kara desu)
8. Pleased to meet you.   初めまして (hajimemashite)
9. Good morning.  お早うございます (ohayo gozaimasu)
10. Good bye.  さようなら (sayonara)
11. Excuse me.   すみません (sumimasen)
12. Sorry.  ごめんなさい (gomen nasai)
13. Thank you.  ありがとうございます (arigato gaizaimasu);  どうもありがとう (domo arigato)
14. You're welcome.  どう致しましてどういたしまして (do itashimashite)
15. Where's the toilet?  便所はどこですか (benjo wa doko desu ka?)
16. How much is this?  いくらですか (ikura desu ka?)
17. Do you speak English?  英語ができますか (eigo ga dekimasu ka?)
18. Do you have an English menu?  英語のメ二ューはありますか (eigo no menu wa arimasu ka?)
19. Help!  助けて! (tasukete!)
20. My hovercraft is full of eels.  私のホバークラフトは鰻でいっぱいです (watashi no hobakurafuto wa unagi de ippai desu)

The phrase that I'm most eager to use when we arrive: Konnichiwa.  Hakata ramen, kudasai!  (Hello.  Hakata ramen [a popular local noodle dish], please!)

__________

*Suggestions for Daily Life (Fukuoka city website)

Adventures in Cantonese

We're planning a trip to Asia this year and are looking into basic phrases that may prove useful in our host countries.

First stop: Hong Kong, where Cantonese and English are the official languages.  Considering English is only spoken daily by less than 5% of the population, though, I figured we should probably learn some Cantonese.  Here are the top 25 phrases* that I'm going to have us memorize (...as my traveling companion goes, "Yay!"):

1. Hello.  你好 (néih hóu)
2. I’m fine thanks. and you?  我幾好，你呢？ (ngóh géi hóu, néih nē?)
3. What's your name?  你叫乜野名呀？ (néih giu mātyéh méng a)
4. My name is...  我叫... (ngóh giu...)
5. Where are you from?  你係邊度人呀？ (néih haih bīndouh yàhn a?)
6. I'm from...  我係...人 (ngóh haih ... yàhn)
7. Pleased to meet you.  好開心見到你 (hóu hòisàm gindóu néih)
8. Good morning.  早晨 (jóusàhn)
9. Goodbye.  再見 (joigin); 拜拜 (bāaibaai)
10. Excuse me.  請問 (chéngmahn) - to get attention; 唔該 (m̀hgòi) - to get past
11. How much is this?  呢個幾多錢呀? (Nīgo géidō chín a?)
12. Sorry.  對唔住 (deuim̀hjyuh)
13. Thank you.  多謝 (dòjeh) - for a gift; 唔該 (m̀hgòi) - for a service
14. You're welcome.  唔駛 (m̀hsái)
15. Where's the toilet?  洗手間喺邊度呀？ (sáisáugāan hái bīndouh a?)
16. Do you speak English?  你識唔識講英文呀? (neih sīkm̀hsīk góng yìngmán a?)
17. I don't speak Cantonese.  我唔識講廣東話 (ngóh m̀hsìk góng gwóngdùngwá)
18. Please speak more slowly.  請你講慢啲 (chéng néih góng maahn di)
19. Please say that again.  唔該你講多一次吖? (m̀hgòi néih góng dō yātchi a)
20. Sorry, I didn't get that.  對唔住,我唔明白 (deuim̀hjyuh, ngóh m̀h mìhngbaahk)

21. I understand.  我明白嘞 (ngóh mìhngbaahk la)
22. I don't understand.  我唔明白 (ngóh m̀h mìhngbaahk)
23. Do you have an English menu?  你地有冇英文餐牌呀? (néihdeih yáuhmóuh yìngmán chāanpáai a?)
24. Help!  救命呀! (gau mehng a!)
25. My hovercraft is full of eels.**  我隻氣墊船裝滿晒鱔 (ngóh jek heidínsyùhn jòngmúhnsaai síhn)

Full disclosure: I actually spoke informal Cantonese with my grandmother until she passed when I was 11 years old.  While we may get lost in our Hong Kong meanderings, we will likely not starve, thanks to my food-focused childish vocabulary.

*Source: Omniglot (http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/cantonese.php)
**Hovercraft drawing: Google Image

RTG Day 7: Pack rat,...or Sentimentalist?

Rediscovering the Groove, Day 7: Tell A Story.

Hello.  My name is Squeaks.  And I'm a pack rat.  (Rodent metaphor completely coincidental.)  Maybe not to the extent of deserving a spot on Hoarders, but I do tend to hold on to things that may not be... immediately useful anymore.

I would argue, though, that this trait has proven valuable when I've been able to triumphantly dig out an old e-mail from my stash of thousands,... or rediscover my almost 20-year old French class notes before our trip to Paris,... or trace my evolving volunteer interests over the years through countless folders of planning notes.

At some point, though, I guess there has to be a limit, a need for intervention.  But what is that threshold?  And what is exempt?  I will never destroy my journals or attempts at creative writing, even though no one may actually ever read them.  I have concert t-shirts from over 2 decades ago that sit in a very heavy chest, which may never see the light of day again until someone busts it open for an estate sale.  Are these items being hoarded by a pack rat,... or one who appreciates souvenirs from the past?  That can provide good fodder for posts like this?

Four Play concert t-shirt, circa 1986.

Take this t-shirt, for example.  My sister got it for me in the mid-80s, at a concert at IMU's Alumni Hall on the Indiana University campus in Bloomington.  I was 14, I think, and it was during a period when I thought it was so cool that my college-aged sister let me tag along with her and her friends to R-rated films -- like Blue Velvet -- and rock concerts -- like Genesis (my first!) and this one, featuring four relatively new bands at the time: Will and the Kill, The Northern Pikes, Hurrah!, and The Royal Court of China.  (Awesome, they're all still around.)  While I finally conceded to retire this thread-bare, hole-in-the-armpit piece of history earlier this year -- it had served me well for countless workouts -- I still wonder whether I should have given it up.  Well, at least good memories like this can live on, even in the absence of a "thing" that takes up drawer space.

RTG Day 6: Got A Hard Habit to Break?

Rediscovering the Groove, Day 6: Ask a Question.

New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg recently released "The Power of Habit," which delves into the psychology of repetitive, unconscious behaviors that are sometimes tough to quit.  He explains that habits form when there's (1) a cue (or trigger) that tells your brain to switch to auto mode, (2) a routine, and (3) a desirable reward.  When you fall into a habit of doing something, the behavior becomes automatic and unconscious -- like how you probably tie your shoes or brush your teeth in exactly the same way each time -- allowing your brain to focus on other things.

So let's say you have a bad habit.  What's the best way to break it?  Duhigg suggests trying it while on vacation, when the usual cues and routine are broken, or the same rewards aren't around.  This apparently works better during vacations because there's the opportunity to form a new pattern.

I've seen this "break the habit while on vacation" theory work with my guy, a chain smoker for over a decade, quit cold turkey during our road trip honeymoon across the country.  He had tried for years to quit smoking previously, but being with me 24/7 for a full week and waking up in a new place every day helped him finally kick it.

Of course, not everyone can go away often enough to break all our bad habits, but the main thing is to somehow to "change things up" to break the usual routine.  Similarly, it may be easier to start a new habit by introducing it in a different setting, instead of trying to fit it into a regular pattern.

I've been wanting to get back into practicing Spanish at least 30 minutes each day, either by chatting with someone, watching a video, reading, or writing en Español.  Starting tomorrow, I'm going to set my alarm a half hour earlier, shift my entire work day up a smidge, and have an extra half hour at the end of the day for Spanish.  Let's see how it goes...

What about you?  What habits do you want to break,... or start, and how will you tackle it?  Well,... let's do it!

RTG Day 5: How To Ride the Chicago "L"

Rediscovering the Groove, Day 5: Write A Tip Post

I have fond memories of riding the "L" every day when I lived in Chicago.  Now, on my occasional trips back to the Windy City for work and even less often visits for pleasure, I cherish each CTA train ride as a novelty and, at the same time, a familiar homecoming.  Here are a few tips on how to ride -- and appreciate -- the L:

1. When you enter the station, purchase or top up your transit card at a Transit Card vending machine.  As of March 2012, it costs $2.25 for a single-ride of any distance on the L.  (The fare was $1.50 when I lived here 10 years ago.)
2. Find a map, either on the wall or in a pamphlet, and figure out (a) where you are, (b) where you're going, and (c) the last station in the direction that you're traveling.
3. To enter the paid part of the station, approach the turnstile, insert your transit card into the card reader, then pull it out.  Look for the green "Enter" light, and push your way through the turnstile. Most turnstiles will also have a screen that indicates the remaining balance on your card.
4. Look for signs that indicate the last station in the direction that you're traveling, and proceed to that platform.  While some stations (e.g., in the Loop) are underground, most CTA trains are "ELevated," as the name suggests.  Either way, expect to navigate some stairs.
5. As you wait for the train, stand behind the bumpy blue strip at the platform's edge for safety.  
6. If there's a chill in the air (and it's between November 1 and March 31), seek shelter under the heat lamps on the platform.  You may meet some interesting characters as you join the huddle of shivering strangers.
7. Enjoy the performers while you wait.  Several underground stations in the Loop have designated areas for buskers.  They're required to get a permit from CTA, so presumably (and I've noticed that) they're pretty good.
8. When the train arrives, check the front and side placards to make sure that they indicate the last station on the route you want.
9. When the doors open, stand to the side and make way for folks exiting the train before boarding. 
10. Board the train carefully, and...mind the gap!

I always enjoy the communal nature of public transportation and often find inspiration from the experience.  Feel free to share your views and encounters on mass transit.

RTG Day 4: Ode to Stars & Flags

Rediscovering the Groove, Day 4: Write A Link Post
(...an assignment that I'm interpreting as simply, "Include links in the post.")

This is an Ode to Stars and Flags.  Not the patriotic kinds, but rather, the ones that highlight important and pressing messages in my Inbox.  Thanks to Google's stars and Apple Mail's flags, I'm able to stay true to my packrat-ness -- hello, 40,000+ messages! -- while keeping my e-mail priorities relatively organized.

During those computer "downtimes" when I take inventory of my e-mails throughout the day, the stars and flags help me zoom in on what I should focus on next.  It's like in the film, Memento, where -- spoiler alert! -- whether I star or flag something (equivalent to Guy Pearce taking a Polaroid or taking notes) determines whether I'll remember to "get to it" later.  Woe to that important message that I neglect to star or flag, though,...'cos sender, you'll probably have to send me another note!