How to use a memory system to memorise Chinese characters with the 'System Method'. An explanation of what you need to learn when studying Mandarin Chinese, 'the four essentials' of each character. How to learn to write more attractive and cool looking Chinese characters that look more like the ones Chinese write themselves.
A funny book with amusing illustrations.
Experiences seeking enlightenment in Sichuan near Tibet and Taiwan's Fo Guang Shan temple. Learning, failing to learn or professionally using Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and Japanese. Getting bitten by a werewolf dog in Sichuan.
Working as Mandarin Chinese legal adviser in London when you don't yet speak fluent Chinese and have to answer complicated legal questions in Mandarin, but you can't understand a word of what the other person is saying.
Experiences studying a distance learning law degree.
How to use a memory system in that setting to gain a law degree (LLB) in three years while working for under 4000 British pounds or 6000 USD TOTAL costs (including some online lessons, sample essay marking and legal books for three years).
What it's like taking a training contract as a trainee lawyer/solicitor in the immigration and criminal law fields in London, England.
It includes a period returning to the UK when I had no home, no job and no qualifications and how I went about changing that. A fruitless but amusing search for the meaning of life at a buddhist temple in Si Chuan Province in China and how this relates to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's lack of central heating and English chocolate digestive biscuits habit. How to find work as an international English teacher. Food is a theme throughout.
How to do language exchanges to learn for free, achieve better fluency or even study any language from scratch. The pitfalls to watch out for such as avoiding people in very different time zones.
There are ten or more fun illustrations included some of which you can see on my author page. Below are some quotes from the book.
...
I was running a drop in service. Chinese people, who could not speak English, would come to me with their everyday problems. These could be anything ranging from everyday advice, help making arrangements, telephoning people, asking how to set up a business and the like, but the big one was reading their mail for them.
I wish I was able to meet each one again now. Shake them by the hand and say thank you!
...
They are from provinces like Fu Jian and aware that there is a standard way to pronounce the 'shi' and the 'si' characters, but they don't know which is which.
They normally just pronounce all of them as 'si'. But, then they hear me trying to speak very clearly all the time, with my goal being that they can hopefully understand everything I say.
Unfortunately, it has an unintended effect.
They figure, ok, you're obviously trying to speak really clearly, so I will too.
I'm going to speak really Chinese Central news service standard now. They then start randomly turning some 'shi' sounds into 'si' sounds and some 'si' sounds into 'shi'. They have effectively made it four times as difficult to understand.
...
This devil dog I did not care for, but then neither did I want to hit it with the metal rod as the only reason it was here was the Head Monk was feeding it. Thinking about it, I should hit him over the head with the metal pipe.
'Aaawwww!! OUUCH!! What did you do that for???!!!' The Head Monk would say.
'Cos you're a bloody idiot!'
A funny book with amusing illustrations.
Experiences seeking enlightenment in Sichuan near Tibet and Taiwan's Fo Guang Shan temple. Learning, failing to learn or professionally using Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and Japanese. Getting bitten by a werewolf dog in Sichuan.
Working as Mandarin Chinese legal adviser in London when you don't yet speak fluent Chinese and have to answer complicated legal questions in Mandarin, but you can't understand a word of what the other person is saying.
Experiences studying a distance learning law degree.
How to use a memory system in that setting to gain a law degree (LLB) in three years while working for under 4000 British pounds or 6000 USD TOTAL costs (including some online lessons, sample essay marking and legal books for three years).
What it's like taking a training contract as a trainee lawyer/solicitor in the immigration and criminal law fields in London, England.
It includes a period returning to the UK when I had no home, no job and no qualifications and how I went about changing that. A fruitless but amusing search for the meaning of life at a buddhist temple in Si Chuan Province in China and how this relates to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's lack of central heating and English chocolate digestive biscuits habit. How to find work as an international English teacher. Food is a theme throughout.
How to do language exchanges to learn for free, achieve better fluency or even study any language from scratch. The pitfalls to watch out for such as avoiding people in very different time zones.
There are ten or more fun illustrations included some of which you can see on my author page. Below are some quotes from the book.
...
I was running a drop in service. Chinese people, who could not speak English, would come to me with their everyday problems. These could be anything ranging from everyday advice, help making arrangements, telephoning people, asking how to set up a business and the like, but the big one was reading their mail for them.
I wish I was able to meet each one again now. Shake them by the hand and say thank you!
...
They are from provinces like Fu Jian and aware that there is a standard way to pronounce the 'shi' and the 'si' characters, but they don't know which is which.
They normally just pronounce all of them as 'si'. But, then they hear me trying to speak very clearly all the time, with my goal being that they can hopefully understand everything I say.
Unfortunately, it has an unintended effect.
They figure, ok, you're obviously trying to speak really clearly, so I will too.
I'm going to speak really Chinese Central news service standard now. They then start randomly turning some 'shi' sounds into 'si' sounds and some 'si' sounds into 'shi'. They have effectively made it four times as difficult to understand.
...
This devil dog I did not care for, but then neither did I want to hit it with the metal rod as the only reason it was here was the Head Monk was feeding it. Thinking about it, I should hit him over the head with the metal pipe.
'Aaawwww!! OUUCH!! What did you do that for???!!!' The Head Monk would say.
'Cos you're a bloody idiot!'
