- Details
Ahhhrghhhh! So Sorry Sorry Sorry I Haven’t Said This Before!
Well, I haven’t not said it before but only to a handful of people: if you’re a student of mine studying at the hallowed halls of Honolulu or just want to go to legendary Honolulu Coffee and Cake Shop anyway for some coffee or cake (or both. Or a duck)
whatever you do, don’t take a taxi to Stanley street! Two days ago my student tried to go from Tai Gu (“Koo”) to Stanley street by taxi. It took him more than an hour!
It was because he said “Stanley street”. The driver will then go through the most heavily trafficked area of Wan Chai and down Queen’s Road, which takes half an hour in itself, before it wings its way up D’Aguilar street and the over-packed Stanley street. Madness!
No, what you have to do is tell the driver to go to The Centre. 中環中心 (Jung Wan Jung Sam – Central Centre). That way he’ll go down Connaught Rd and through a couple of tunnels, taking you up Jubilee street from whose corner you can easily dash up to Honolulu under the escalator.
I’m so sorry! I should have told everybody the first day we met. Consider me self-chastised.
士丹利街 (Si dan lei gai – Stanley street)
檀島咖啡餅店 (Tan Dou Gafe Beng Dim – Honolulu Coffee and Cake Shop)
太古 (Tai Gu – Tai “Koo”, Swire)
干諾道 (Gon Lohk Dou – Connaught Road)
大道中 (Daai Dou Jung – Queen’s Road Central)
- Details
Amazing Coincidence? I Think Not!
Is Happy Jellyfish People’s Democratic Language Bureau’s Cantonese course the only course currently in existence where the teacups provided by the course venue match your outfit? It’s hard to say, but I’ll wager it will be difficult to find such a matching teacup/outfit course anywhere in the world, let alone Hong Kong.
- Details
American Odyssey
It’s a while ago now but I suddenly remembered I spent a month in the USA this summer, doing the Canto thing of course:
- Details
American Odyssey
It's a while ago now but I suddenly remembered I spent a month in the USA this summer, doing the Canto thing of course:
- Details
Another Company Caves
So it’s the private companies that will be driving the communist hieroglyph takeover? Last week it was Hang Seng bank, now it’s HSBC itself. HSBC – isn’t that a British bank?
A few years ago it was that very bank which staged a ‘speak Mandarin campaign’. There she was, an HSBC employee standing in the doorway of little Mui Wo branch of that giant bank, showing the way to the three windows of the 300 square feet room, a big Speak Mandarin Month badge on her lapel, squeaking Ni Hao Ma! to all the locals of Mui Wo including me.
I asked her then as I wonder now: What the hell is HSBC doing trying to force Hong Kong people to speak communist speech-language Mandarin?
Then this afternoon, there it was in the passage between Tsim Sha Tsui East and TST MTR station: A massive sign in those crippled and ugly squiggles.
I still haven’t heard back from Hang Seng Bank about my question as to why they discriminate against Hong Kong people in their advertising, apart from an email two weeks after I wrote to them (Hang Seng Bank promises an answer to emails within 48 hours) saying: We’ve read your email! Thank you for your continuous support!
Now I will have to write to HSBC too. I encourage you to do the same. Rid this ugly pest from our city’s common space.
(Note that the advert is about the world. When did ‘the world’ become ‘Mainland China’?)
Contact us today
Email info@learncantonese.com.hk
to find out how you can start learning Cantonese.