I thought it strange that I would find myself winning money at a casino. Believe it or not, I've won consistently $150-$200 every time I visit a casino. Blackjack is my game.
I went with the family on an outing to the States on the Labour Day weekend. We left on a Saturday, returned the following day. We travelled to Grove City in Pennsylvania (an hour drive from Erie). About 4+ hours away from Toronto. We did alittle shopping. I mostly walked around. Shopping (for me personally) is boring in these carbon copy factory outlet shopping centres. I find them boring. They all have the same shit. Nothing unique and nothing that quite says buy me (because you ain't gonna find anything like me whereever else your going!). So I walked around. From like 3 PM all the way until 8:20 PM. It's kinda sad but I was just happy getting out of the city.
The States is nice. As I was driving I started noticing all the greenery surrounding us. I never really thought too much about it. There is a lot of greenery towards New York as well. So why did I think about the green this trip? Well, I guess my thought were on the greenery on my way to New York as well. And so what I thought was these are just highways leading from one city to another. Erie, PA is the biggest city near Buffalo. On the way to Erie the Interstate highway directed you either Eastbound toward Buffalo or Westbound toward Cleveland. And this lead me to think about 'Why Cleveland?'. Or, why place a city where Cleveland sits and why did it develop into a city whereas all these other small towns between Buffalo and Cleveland did not? I wondered about that as I was travelling. More on that later.
So we stayed in Erie over night (in the car believe it or not) and I got a chance to play Blackjack at the Presque Casino and Resort. I started playing around 12:30 AM and finished about 20 minutes later. I borrowed $100 from Elaine and used $60 of my own money. I walked away with $310. I won again! Why? It's so strange. I play for 20 minutes and I walk away with money. There's gotta be something to it. So when I got back home from our trip I decided to look into it.
I found a book called "The world's greatest blackjack book" from the local BMV bookstore. I was looking to buy "Beat the Dealer" by Edward O Thorpe but I wasn't able to find the book cheap. Well, I read that book (by Humble, et. al.) and it was pretty good.
The part that I enjoyed the most was the statistics and the results of the experiments (performed by Braun and Baldwin, separately). So, according to Humble (supported by experiments performed by Braun, Baldwin, etc.), 38% of 2 cards drawn in blackjack are decision hands (a decision hand is one where you have a total value of any one between 12 to 16). All other hands make up the other 62%. That means more than 1 in 3 hands is a decision hand. A decision hand is important because it requires you to make one of the 5 possible choices (depending upon the casino) that are offered to you: doubledown, split, hit, stand or surrender. What is also interesting is that the dealer only busts 28% of the time (the dealer stands on total value cards equal to 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21). But the most significant argument that I read from the book was there proof that a play will lose if they chose the strategy of not busting or the strategy of mimicking the dealer. Both strategies have a losing percentage against the house. The no busting strategy gives up 8% and the dealer mimic gives up as much as 5.7%.
I was intrigued with these numbers. There appears to be a lot of science behind it (whenever someone is ready to give you the number then you usually feel less doubtful about their argument. And I was surprised by the calculation of subtracting percentage points and multiplying percentage values from other percentage values. There seemed to be something disingenuous about it. But I kept reading. I got the picture. The argument is is that if your not playing Basic Strategy then your paying too much for your evenings entertainment. The only way to change the between .5% to 1% advantageous the casino has in the game of Blackjack is to count cards. By betting larger amounts when the remaining undealt cards of the deck is advantageous for you you will receive a better winfall and therefore better the odds in your favour. I was impressed with numbers. I took it upon myself to learn these details.
On the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend Elaine, mom and Ray decided to head down to Niagara Falls for the day. Ray didn't have his passport so he stuck with me at Fallsview while mom and Elaine headed to Buffalo to shop. I played Blackjack again. Again I won $150. This time I sat alone at a table with an Asian lady dealing the cards. 6 deck non-automatic shoe. I was totally uncomfortable playing with her. She dealt the cards so quickly. I wasn't used to it. She was practically playing my cards! I quickly walked away. But not after winning $150 again (this time in 10-15 minutes). Ray and I got drinks and spent some time outdoors. We then went back in and I decided to play some more. This time I sat at a table with 6 other players. I chose to sit on the left side of first base. Games were much slower. Slower enough so that I could think and play. I wasn't studied up on the card counting and so I just played as I usually do. It was sad in fact. I lost all the money that I won earlier and almost lost 2/3rd of the money I brought to the casino ($300 of the money that I received from selling those Aerosmith tickets). I won back a third of it (just barely coming back from the brink). And I walked away with $200 of my original $300.
To summarize, after coming home from the Thanksgiving outing I decided to study again. I downloaded an app for my iPhone playing Blackjack regularly (last week). What I learned was the more I learned about the odds for winning and losing and what I was paying for them I realized that I wasn't so sure that I enjoyed playing anymore. What I found from the app for the iPhone was that I didn't like the risks that I needed to perform to win. Knowing about the card counting techniques I thought it would be just as easy as playing on the cheap (minimum bets) on the average deck and playing higher amounts on the hotter decks. But what I found was that the theory just didn't work with the simulation program I bought. I was pissed. I played nearly 2000 hands before I found a system that seems to work (I read it in another book that I found). The way that I was beating the simulation (not exactly all the time) was by playing a progression when I won. When I win, double your money. Win, and slowly decrease the amount waged to "lockin" some of your winnings. When I lost, and when I lost consecutively, hopefully it was for the miminum wager. However, there are some occasions when the run of cards gets away from you. You just get bad cards. Hopefully your not chasing the progression just to get even! And unfortunately that's exactly what happens. When you have lost 5-6 hands in a row your ready to place bets 10 times the original mimimum amount. That's a huge risk. And it's not outside the possibility of losing 10 in a row (I lost 10 in a row and the last 3 of those bets were for $500 -- good thing it was just an iPhone app!).
What I learned was that I didn't like putting so much at risk to be successful at Blackjack. And success in Blackjack does have it's costs. Time for instance, and a higher than acceptable propensity for risk. Both of which I don't have a healthy supply of.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
New York 2
We left for America after the World Cup game between Germany and Spain. It was a really tight game. Not many chances. We left around 4:50 PM and I drove. Encountered a major rain storm around Hamilton area. We got to the Duty Free shop around 6:30 PM. Picked up some munchies, beer and drinks and we crossed the border.
I get nervous at the border. You have to try and relax. Americo was driving at this point and he was nervous at the border. It was kind of funny. Where you going? Long Island. Where in Long Island? Umm. What was it called? Rockville. Why are you going there? To play hockey. Blah blah blah.
We entered America around 7 PM crossing the Lewiston Bridge. We took the New York route on the I-90 to Syracuse and then took the I-81 south. We stopped at Homer, NY to get some gas and food. But Homer was such a small town. The sign off the highway said there was a food stop and gas stop but Homer had nothing (practically). We filled up on gas ($2.59 per gallan, $25) and kept going. We learned that we made the wrong stop and that where we should have stopped at was Cortland. It was funny because Cortland had all the amenities that you would expect from a rest/gas/food stop. Homer and Cortland couldn't be more than 2 miles apart. But Cortland had the new facilities and Homer had the old mom and pop gas station (and that was it!).
We stopped at Tim Horton's and had dinner. It was 10:10 PM. We finally hit the road around 10:35 PM and we didn't stop until we got to New Jersey. Americo drove the whole way. I fell asleep around 11:30 PM and was in and out of sleep until 12:30 PM. We arrived at the Ramada Inn in Rochelle Park, NJ around 1:50 AM. We checked in and expected to receive the cheap walk-in special that we saw advertised through roomsaver.com. They wanted to charge us $85 for the night. Lucky Americo brought it up and we paid the $59 that we expected. It was late. It was a good idea to fight the fee. But after a long drive I can see how easy it would be to just pay it.
We were in our hotel room around 2 AM. I went to bed around 3 AM. Taking some time to get a feel for the room and watching some TV until I fell asleep. I woke around 8:30 AM and got us some breakfast (before the food was gone). We then talked to the desk to see if we could get another night at the hotel. They wouldn't give it to us at the rate that we wanted. So we decided to leave. We figure we could find another hotel at the cheaper rate in Jersey. We looked around on roomsaver.com and decided on the Hampton Inn in Elizabeth (my initial destination choice). I drove to Elizabeth and when we entered we were pleasantly surprised. The Hampton Inn was quite comfortable. Much better than the Ramada. Little things make a big difference in the look & feel of a place. The Ramada had dark carpets but the hallway wasn't cooled by an A/C. The Hampton in the front foyer had dark wood floors. The walls were a cool cream striped satin looking wall paper. The seats in the dining area (small but cozy) were comfortable, inviting modern styled chairs. Whereas the Ramada was red and dark when we walked in that late night. In the morning it was brighter but because of the layout of the hotel there wasn't as much natural light. So it felt cramped and dark.
The rooms felt different as well. The Hampton had light coloured blankets while the Ramada had pastel, dark coloured blankets. The Hampton just felt fresher. The Ramada's blankets was just rougher on the skin. I just think it's interesting the differences a few select features makes on the complexion of a place. Both hotels had a dark wood finish. But because of the light in the Hampton you could see the finish. It felt more luxurious, more refined, cleaner and tidier. Just a better hotel. It did cost $20 more but it was worth it.
We signed in around 11:30 AM. We hoped to be out of there by 12 PM but that was just a hope. We left around 12:30 PM looking for the Elizabeth train station. We asked the guy at the desk but he directed us to the shuttle bus that goes to the Newark Airport where we could take the NJ train to NY Penn Station. We later learned that the Elizabeth train station is not out of commission. The hotel shuttle hotel guests to and from the airport. The NJ train was far more expensive because the transport is used to pay for the airport. Therefore, we paid $15 (Americo paid $11.50) to take 3 stops to NY Penn station. The $15 was much different than the rate that was quoted from the NJ transit website. I got a quote of $6.50 from Elizabeth (which is one stop further than the Newark Airport) compared to $15. I was pissed off about this.
We got to NY Penn station around 2 PM. Picked up a day-pass for the NY subway system and our first stop was the WTC site. We took the E line to the WTC. Took some pictures. I was amazed that they could fit 2 buildings in the space that I saw. Amazing! And with the congestion of the location it's surprising and scary that 2 large buildings would fall in such a dense urban area.
We started to walk to Battery Park (where the statue ferries disembark) but the direction that an officer provided us appeared to be different than what I expected. I checked out the map and realized that there is a Battery Park City (West of WTC) and a Battery Park? I'm doing a search again now and I guess I was wrong (again!). Anyway, we took the subway back to Penn station (we missed our exit at Chambers) had lunch (at Moe's Burrito Grill) and then we headed south again (along the 1 line) towards the South ferry stop. We exited and found the Staten Island ferries (not the statue ferries) and decided to take the trip. We played it loose in the city and it was great. 20 minute ride to Staten island and back again we had a good time. Americo got a chance to relax. I had the chance to take pictures of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
It was around 5 PM at this point. We then took the R train to Wall street and we walked around a little. Took pictures and then started up (7 line) towards the Empire state building. We decided to wait till later for the Empire state building so we took 7 line again to Times square. Americo stopped at an electronic camera shop and 10 minutes later Americo had bought a 70-300 mm zoom lens for his Nikon D3000 digital SLR. It was maybe 7:30 PM at this point. Our last stop was the Empire state building. Fantastic monument to go visit. Beautiful, regal and iconic. It's incredible that the building should now symbolize the city of New York. I fell in love with the building. It's funny because my first impression of the building was one of surprise. The building has held up pretty well over the years. I was surprised that it didn't look older. The facade was very much clean and crisp (almost fake looking). Did they have renovation done to clean it up? It looked too clean to me. The front entranceway has got the signature 350 on it. There is a doorman and the entranceway. A rotating entranceway into the building. A long corridor leading to a desk. A beautiful mural behind the desk and dressed in gold. The image is of the building surrounded by golden beams of light. The imagery is fantastic. I really enjoyed the feeling of the place. It just brings back the images of big money New York. I can imagine Clark Gable singing 'Puttin' on the Ritz'.
I get nervous at the border. You have to try and relax. Americo was driving at this point and he was nervous at the border. It was kind of funny. Where you going? Long Island. Where in Long Island? Umm. What was it called? Rockville. Why are you going there? To play hockey. Blah blah blah.
We entered America around 7 PM crossing the Lewiston Bridge. We took the New York route on the I-90 to Syracuse and then took the I-81 south. We stopped at Homer, NY to get some gas and food. But Homer was such a small town. The sign off the highway said there was a food stop and gas stop but Homer had nothing (practically). We filled up on gas ($2.59 per gallan, $25) and kept going. We learned that we made the wrong stop and that where we should have stopped at was Cortland. It was funny because Cortland had all the amenities that you would expect from a rest/gas/food stop. Homer and Cortland couldn't be more than 2 miles apart. But Cortland had the new facilities and Homer had the old mom and pop gas station (and that was it!).
We stopped at Tim Horton's and had dinner. It was 10:10 PM. We finally hit the road around 10:35 PM and we didn't stop until we got to New Jersey. Americo drove the whole way. I fell asleep around 11:30 PM and was in and out of sleep until 12:30 PM. We arrived at the Ramada Inn in Rochelle Park, NJ around 1:50 AM. We checked in and expected to receive the cheap walk-in special that we saw advertised through roomsaver.com. They wanted to charge us $85 for the night. Lucky Americo brought it up and we paid the $59 that we expected. It was late. It was a good idea to fight the fee. But after a long drive I can see how easy it would be to just pay it.
We were in our hotel room around 2 AM. I went to bed around 3 AM. Taking some time to get a feel for the room and watching some TV until I fell asleep. I woke around 8:30 AM and got us some breakfast (before the food was gone). We then talked to the desk to see if we could get another night at the hotel. They wouldn't give it to us at the rate that we wanted. So we decided to leave. We figure we could find another hotel at the cheaper rate in Jersey. We looked around on roomsaver.com and decided on the Hampton Inn in Elizabeth (my initial destination choice). I drove to Elizabeth and when we entered we were pleasantly surprised. The Hampton Inn was quite comfortable. Much better than the Ramada. Little things make a big difference in the look & feel of a place. The Ramada had dark carpets but the hallway wasn't cooled by an A/C. The Hampton in the front foyer had dark wood floors. The walls were a cool cream striped satin looking wall paper. The seats in the dining area (small but cozy) were comfortable, inviting modern styled chairs. Whereas the Ramada was red and dark when we walked in that late night. In the morning it was brighter but because of the layout of the hotel there wasn't as much natural light. So it felt cramped and dark.
The rooms felt different as well. The Hampton had light coloured blankets while the Ramada had pastel, dark coloured blankets. The Hampton just felt fresher. The Ramada's blankets was just rougher on the skin. I just think it's interesting the differences a few select features makes on the complexion of a place. Both hotels had a dark wood finish. But because of the light in the Hampton you could see the finish. It felt more luxurious, more refined, cleaner and tidier. Just a better hotel. It did cost $20 more but it was worth it.
We signed in around 11:30 AM. We hoped to be out of there by 12 PM but that was just a hope. We left around 12:30 PM looking for the Elizabeth train station. We asked the guy at the desk but he directed us to the shuttle bus that goes to the Newark Airport where we could take the NJ train to NY Penn Station. We later learned that the Elizabeth train station is not out of commission. The hotel shuttle hotel guests to and from the airport. The NJ train was far more expensive because the transport is used to pay for the airport. Therefore, we paid $15 (Americo paid $11.50) to take 3 stops to NY Penn station. The $15 was much different than the rate that was quoted from the NJ transit website. I got a quote of $6.50 from Elizabeth (which is one stop further than the Newark Airport) compared to $15. I was pissed off about this.
We got to NY Penn station around 2 PM. Picked up a day-pass for the NY subway system and our first stop was the WTC site. We took the E line to the WTC. Took some pictures. I was amazed that they could fit 2 buildings in the space that I saw. Amazing! And with the congestion of the location it's surprising and scary that 2 large buildings would fall in such a dense urban area.
We started to walk to Battery Park (where the statue ferries disembark) but the direction that an officer provided us appeared to be different than what I expected. I checked out the map and realized that there is a Battery Park City (West of WTC) and a Battery Park? I'm doing a search again now and I guess I was wrong (again!). Anyway, we took the subway back to Penn station (we missed our exit at Chambers) had lunch (at Moe's Burrito Grill) and then we headed south again (along the 1 line) towards the South ferry stop. We exited and found the Staten Island ferries (not the statue ferries) and decided to take the trip. We played it loose in the city and it was great. 20 minute ride to Staten island and back again we had a good time. Americo got a chance to relax. I had the chance to take pictures of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
It was around 5 PM at this point. We then took the R train to Wall street and we walked around a little. Took pictures and then started up (7 line) towards the Empire state building. We decided to wait till later for the Empire state building so we took 7 line again to Times square. Americo stopped at an electronic camera shop and 10 minutes later Americo had bought a 70-300 mm zoom lens for his Nikon D3000 digital SLR. It was maybe 7:30 PM at this point. Our last stop was the Empire state building. Fantastic monument to go visit. Beautiful, regal and iconic. It's incredible that the building should now symbolize the city of New York. I fell in love with the building. It's funny because my first impression of the building was one of surprise. The building has held up pretty well over the years. I was surprised that it didn't look older. The facade was very much clean and crisp (almost fake looking). Did they have renovation done to clean it up? It looked too clean to me. The front entranceway has got the signature 350 on it. There is a doorman and the entranceway. A rotating entranceway into the building. A long corridor leading to a desk. A beautiful mural behind the desk and dressed in gold. The image is of the building surrounded by golden beams of light. The imagery is fantastic. I really enjoyed the feeling of the place. It just brings back the images of big money New York. I can imagine Clark Gable singing 'Puttin' on the Ritz'.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Learning Cantonese
I've been trying to learn Cantonese since coming back from Hong Kong in October of 2009. I realized that my understanding was limited when I wanted to communicate with someone and found it extremely difficult. I hate feeling like I'm an idiot. I realized that I needed to give Cantonese time and effort. So I looked around for resources so that I can begin studying Cantonese. I found a meetup group that I hoped would help me find a voice. What I learned from the meetup group is that talking to strangers was a real chore. Initially I found it uncomfortable. I'm not used to talking about myself to strangers. However, I had the disadvantage that I just didn't want to talk about anything. I had to learn to open up. So my problems were larger than the fact that I didn't know Cantonese.
At that time (in 2009) I signed up to attend a Cantonese class offered by the Toronto District School Board. I started class in January of 2010 and by May 31st I had completed the beginner class as well as the intermediate class. Which brings me to my current thoughts.
What is Intermediate level as opposed to Beginner level and Advanced level?
This thought came to me a few weeks ago. Since coming back from Hong Kong I've been thinking about language learning and how I should approach the process. You see, the TDSB course was good but it wasn't great. The TDSB course was a chance to go to a classroom and get into the mindset of speaking Cantonese. At first I had difficulty adjusting. Thinking and working in English, I had to adjust my thinking for class to begin communicating in Cantonese. I adjusted Ok. I was fine. But the demands in the class was to be able to read the material "with acceptable intonation". My tones could use a little work. But I was fine with tones. What I had issue with was that I could not formulate complete correct sentences.
Long story short, I have thought of a lot of strategies on how to tackle language learning. Here are some of those ideas.
1. stories
2. composition
3. transcription
4. verbal performance
In essence the idea was to use storytelling as a mode in which to learn Cantonese. I think it's a good idea. But it begs the question of how. The deeper I delved into this quandary the more I learned about language learning in general. The more I learned the more I had to change my strategy. The more I learned the more I learned about myself and my mode of communicating and my personal preferences towards other people.
Which leads me to my initial question of 'What is intermediate level?'.
I'm defining intermediate level as the ability to communicate about general subjects (I'll call them beginner subjects) beyond a 3 response interaction. I use the analogy of tennis to explain. A beginner tennis player can put the ball over the net. It's not about the ability to do it consistently either. A beginner tennis player can put the ball over the net most times at the start of a rally. Therefore what marks a beginner tennis player is that a beginner cannot respond to the ball being returned to him/her. The rally dies. Usually the rally will die to about 3 hits on both sides (at most). Therefore, I'm defining intermediate level in terms of the ability to respond at least 3 times (and keep it going).
By defining what intermediate level is I can set a goal to reach it. But to achieve that goal I need to understand what is required to encompass that range of language learning. Here I use past material to grasp that range.
Example: Learn Mandarin in 500 words. My Mandarin book that I used in Fu Lao Shi class at Tzu Chi Academy. I don't know the theory behind 500 words (maybe it's 1000 words?) but it doesn't really matter. 500 words is a start. The important part is the content. Now learning 500 words, I feel, is completely arbitrary. I need a more systematic approach to learning (we don't have 10 years like we do when we're a child to learn a language) so those 500 words should be well chosen. I'll use my Mandarin book once again to determine the essence of the Chinese language and apply those same concepts to Cantonese. Words like, 都， 也， 已定， 有， 其實， 但是，不過， 還， 如果， 可以， 能， etc. are used often. Having a catalogue of most useful words would be helpful.
Hence my desire to write a document that incorporates all that I've described into a single document. Of course a lot of the material is already available. My job is to re-fashion it into a learning platform that I can use with my friends in my meetup group as well as have some fun with it.
My ideas are:
1. A document that teaches Cantonese at a beginner level
2. Explanations of concepts (particles, classifiers, pronouns, names, titles, question forms, etc.)
3. Grammar
4. Exercises on grammar (arrange the characters to form a correct sentence)
5. Memory tests (nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives)
6. Dialogue (scripts)
The important thing about this document is that at the end of the exercises there should be a script. The dialogue script can be dialectic or not (monologue). But it should contain the essence of beginner level Cantonese. By reviewing this script (alone or in a group) will allow you to re-affirm your understanding of beginner material. My hope for the material will be that this script (designed in a manner that can be customized to the person that is delivering it) can be spoken at the start of a meetup group to introduce oneself and/or "perform" it as in a drill to affirm knowledge/skill and understanding. The dialogues, exercises, quizzes and composition work, in the document (book) will build skills and build the script. By the end of the document a learner should have mastered the material and have understanding of his/her script.
So this document will represent what you need to know to consider yourself beyond a beginner. I'm interested in passing a certain stage in my learning. I need a goal. And hence I want to define that goal. This document will represent that goal. So I want the document to break down conversation into types, e.g. About people, about place, about thing, about time. These are too general but you get the point. The goal is to develop conversational skills beyond 3 responses over beginner subjects. So here I will define beginner subjects. More specific subjects becomes a topic for Intermediate level Cantonese. And that is where I want to go.
One added note. I purchased Sidney Lau's Cantonese material from the Hong Kong Government Publication department. Mr. Lau's material was developed for a radio program in teaching Cantonese. I purchased all the material including the elementary, intermediate and advanced level material. Mr. Lau's material will be used to re-inforce my approach and most likely modify the content.
At that time (in 2009) I signed up to attend a Cantonese class offered by the Toronto District School Board. I started class in January of 2010 and by May 31st I had completed the beginner class as well as the intermediate class. Which brings me to my current thoughts.
What is Intermediate level as opposed to Beginner level and Advanced level?
This thought came to me a few weeks ago. Since coming back from Hong Kong I've been thinking about language learning and how I should approach the process. You see, the TDSB course was good but it wasn't great. The TDSB course was a chance to go to a classroom and get into the mindset of speaking Cantonese. At first I had difficulty adjusting. Thinking and working in English, I had to adjust my thinking for class to begin communicating in Cantonese. I adjusted Ok. I was fine. But the demands in the class was to be able to read the material "with acceptable intonation". My tones could use a little work. But I was fine with tones. What I had issue with was that I could not formulate complete correct sentences.
Long story short, I have thought of a lot of strategies on how to tackle language learning. Here are some of those ideas.
1. stories
2. composition
3. transcription
4. verbal performance
In essence the idea was to use storytelling as a mode in which to learn Cantonese. I think it's a good idea. But it begs the question of how. The deeper I delved into this quandary the more I learned about language learning in general. The more I learned the more I had to change my strategy. The more I learned the more I learned about myself and my mode of communicating and my personal preferences towards other people.
Which leads me to my initial question of 'What is intermediate level?'.
I'm defining intermediate level as the ability to communicate about general subjects (I'll call them beginner subjects) beyond a 3 response interaction. I use the analogy of tennis to explain. A beginner tennis player can put the ball over the net. It's not about the ability to do it consistently either. A beginner tennis player can put the ball over the net most times at the start of a rally. Therefore what marks a beginner tennis player is that a beginner cannot respond to the ball being returned to him/her. The rally dies. Usually the rally will die to about 3 hits on both sides (at most). Therefore, I'm defining intermediate level in terms of the ability to respond at least 3 times (and keep it going).
By defining what intermediate level is I can set a goal to reach it. But to achieve that goal I need to understand what is required to encompass that range of language learning. Here I use past material to grasp that range.
Example: Learn Mandarin in 500 words. My Mandarin book that I used in Fu Lao Shi class at Tzu Chi Academy. I don't know the theory behind 500 words (maybe it's 1000 words?) but it doesn't really matter. 500 words is a start. The important part is the content. Now learning 500 words, I feel, is completely arbitrary. I need a more systematic approach to learning (we don't have 10 years like we do when we're a child to learn a language) so those 500 words should be well chosen. I'll use my Mandarin book once again to determine the essence of the Chinese language and apply those same concepts to Cantonese. Words like, 都， 也， 已定， 有， 其實， 但是，不過， 還， 如果， 可以， 能， etc. are used often. Having a catalogue of most useful words would be helpful.
Hence my desire to write a document that incorporates all that I've described into a single document. Of course a lot of the material is already available. My job is to re-fashion it into a learning platform that I can use with my friends in my meetup group as well as have some fun with it.
My ideas are:
1. A document that teaches Cantonese at a beginner level
2. Explanations of concepts (particles, classifiers, pronouns, names, titles, question forms, etc.)
3. Grammar
4. Exercises on grammar (arrange the characters to form a correct sentence)
5. Memory tests (nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives)
6. Dialogue (scripts)
The important thing about this document is that at the end of the exercises there should be a script. The dialogue script can be dialectic or not (monologue). But it should contain the essence of beginner level Cantonese. By reviewing this script (alone or in a group) will allow you to re-affirm your understanding of beginner material. My hope for the material will be that this script (designed in a manner that can be customized to the person that is delivering it) can be spoken at the start of a meetup group to introduce oneself and/or "perform" it as in a drill to affirm knowledge/skill and understanding. The dialogues, exercises, quizzes and composition work, in the document (book) will build skills and build the script. By the end of the document a learner should have mastered the material and have understanding of his/her script.
So this document will represent what you need to know to consider yourself beyond a beginner. I'm interested in passing a certain stage in my learning. I need a goal. And hence I want to define that goal. This document will represent that goal. So I want the document to break down conversation into types, e.g. About people, about place, about thing, about time. These are too general but you get the point. The goal is to develop conversational skills beyond 3 responses over beginner subjects. So here I will define beginner subjects. More specific subjects becomes a topic for Intermediate level Cantonese. And that is where I want to go.
One added note. I purchased Sidney Lau's Cantonese material from the Hong Kong Government Publication department. Mr. Lau's material was developed for a radio program in teaching Cantonese. I purchased all the material including the elementary, intermediate and advanced level material. Mr. Lau's material will be used to re-inforce my approach and most likely modify the content.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
GLEE
I was checking out movies/videos at HMV with my buddy Vince (as I usually do on a Saturday) when they so happened to be playing back GLEE on the TV screens. I fell in love. I watched the scene that set up the song, "Don't stop believing" by Journey. It's a great song to the start of the series and so appropriate to the premise of the story. Thereafter, I downloaded season one and the following week purchased it. And then I promoted the series to my sister. It's just so much fun.
My enjoyment of GLEE has waned these past few days (I've been quite busy) but I wanted to write about its impact.
It's strange to me. Strange in the sense that, as a kid, I used to watch all the musicals that played on television over the Christmas holidays. I used to enjoy them. We used to sing to them in fact. I can still remember when Elaine and I (Elaine is my sister) would sing "Doe a deer a female deer" as my cousin Alice would conduct our singing. I was maybe 8 at the time. And I can also recall my friend Doug (passed away in 2008) whom would always be referencing theatre and musical numbers. It's funny that I've forgotten how much fun singing and dancing is. So serious as I am in serious matters ... :(
Well GLEE has been enjoyable. So I wanted to write about what makes it fun and a joy to watch. But I also wanted to write about what it has lost these past few episodes, i.e. since the restart of Season One (after the Sectionals).
Episode 1
- Introduce Will Shuester (Shue) whom wants to take on the Glee club, Will was a past Glee club member when he attended McKinley school
- Glee club was a popular club when Shue was a member, it has gone afoul since then and Shue wants to bring it back to it's former glory
- Introduce Sue Sylvester whom is the antagonist to the Glee club, she runs the Cheerios cheerleading squad, nationally competitive
- Shue calls the new club "New Directions" and opens for auditions
- Introduce Mercedes (black girl, chubby, big voice) sings Aretha Franklin's RESPECT
- Introduce Kurt (white boy, skinny, gay) sings Celephane from Chicago Musical
- Introduce Tina (asian girl, average, shy) sings I kissed a girl by Kate Perry
- Introduce Rachel (jewish girl, average, star) sings On my own from Les Miserable
- Shue promotes Glee but finds resistence from the administration/teachers and the kids themselves
- Rachel doesn't want to participate unless they can find a male counterpart to keep up with her
- Shue makes a plea to the Football team for guys and discovers the quarterback to have musical talent
- Shue connives (is this a word? ... haha) and get Finn to participate
- Rachel takes a liking to Finn, and the team find that they are sounding pretty good
- Finn is suspect as peer pressure forces him to question his allegiance even though he enjoys singing
- Shue's wife announces that she is with child and questions Shue's ability to provide for their growing family as a teacher
- Shue decides to get out of teaching when Emma Pilsbury shows Shue how happy he was when he was part of the Glee club, Shue reconsiders
- Shue overhears the Glee club performing and "it would kill me to miss you win the nationals" and decides to stay
Analysis:
The story works because:
1. musicals have become unpopular in mainstream television/film
2. a club that performs something that is unpopular will also be construed as unpopular despite the fact that music is always popular in school
3. the tension of the characters to "fit in" (to find a niche) is prevalent and many people can relate to it
4. singing and dancing is fun but not necessarily cool
These are the principle factors that make this a compelling TV show. What puts it over the top (what makes it good) is that it begins as a comedy. The show presents the kids as misfits whom just want a place to shine (show their talents) and have fun. A major component of comedy is exaggeration. Musicals are inherently exaggerations. Breaking into song because song is the only way to express yourself is wonderful but not really "normal" behaviour. That's why a musical is a little strange to some people. But all people love music. So to satirize the "Musical high school" theme is ingenious. Problem is that the show has stopped being a satire. The comedy has disappeared (part of being popular) and now it's less edgy than it was.
The drama has definitely improved but the comedy is being lost in it. I'm not sure that I consider it an improvement. Don't get me wrong, I like the drama. Some of it is done very well. But the comedy has really taken a nosedive. The best comedy is when there is a serious undertone beneath the surface. And in like manner, the best dramas have really insightful comedic moments that give the audience a respite from the seriousness but also highlights the message. I think the comedy (it's appeal) has been defanged (satire). It's become so popular that it's no longer "wickedly enjoyable".
That is just my take on the current series.
My enjoyment of GLEE has waned these past few days (I've been quite busy) but I wanted to write about its impact.
It's strange to me. Strange in the sense that, as a kid, I used to watch all the musicals that played on television over the Christmas holidays. I used to enjoy them. We used to sing to them in fact. I can still remember when Elaine and I (Elaine is my sister) would sing "Doe a deer a female deer" as my cousin Alice would conduct our singing. I was maybe 8 at the time. And I can also recall my friend Doug (passed away in 2008) whom would always be referencing theatre and musical numbers. It's funny that I've forgotten how much fun singing and dancing is. So serious as I am in serious matters ... :(
Well GLEE has been enjoyable. So I wanted to write about what makes it fun and a joy to watch. But I also wanted to write about what it has lost these past few episodes, i.e. since the restart of Season One (after the Sectionals).
Episode 1
- Introduce Will Shuester (Shue) whom wants to take on the Glee club, Will was a past Glee club member when he attended McKinley school
- Glee club was a popular club when Shue was a member, it has gone afoul since then and Shue wants to bring it back to it's former glory
- Introduce Sue Sylvester whom is the antagonist to the Glee club, she runs the Cheerios cheerleading squad, nationally competitive
- Shue calls the new club "New Directions" and opens for auditions
- Introduce Mercedes (black girl, chubby, big voice) sings Aretha Franklin's RESPECT
- Introduce Kurt (white boy, skinny, gay) sings Celephane from Chicago Musical
- Introduce Tina (asian girl, average, shy) sings I kissed a girl by Kate Perry
- Introduce Rachel (jewish girl, average, star) sings On my own from Les Miserable
- Shue promotes Glee but finds resistence from the administration/teachers and the kids themselves
- Rachel doesn't want to participate unless they can find a male counterpart to keep up with her
- Shue makes a plea to the Football team for guys and discovers the quarterback to have musical talent
- Shue connives (is this a word? ... haha) and get Finn to participate
- Rachel takes a liking to Finn, and the team find that they are sounding pretty good
- Finn is suspect as peer pressure forces him to question his allegiance even though he enjoys singing
- Shue's wife announces that she is with child and questions Shue's ability to provide for their growing family as a teacher
- Shue decides to get out of teaching when Emma Pilsbury shows Shue how happy he was when he was part of the Glee club, Shue reconsiders
- Shue overhears the Glee club performing and "it would kill me to miss you win the nationals" and decides to stay
Analysis:
The story works because:
1. musicals have become unpopular in mainstream television/film
2. a club that performs something that is unpopular will also be construed as unpopular despite the fact that music is always popular in school
3. the tension of the characters to "fit in" (to find a niche) is prevalent and many people can relate to it
4. singing and dancing is fun but not necessarily cool
These are the principle factors that make this a compelling TV show. What puts it over the top (what makes it good) is that it begins as a comedy. The show presents the kids as misfits whom just want a place to shine (show their talents) and have fun. A major component of comedy is exaggeration. Musicals are inherently exaggerations. Breaking into song because song is the only way to express yourself is wonderful but not really "normal" behaviour. That's why a musical is a little strange to some people. But all people love music. So to satirize the "Musical high school" theme is ingenious. Problem is that the show has stopped being a satire. The comedy has disappeared (part of being popular) and now it's less edgy than it was.
The drama has definitely improved but the comedy is being lost in it. I'm not sure that I consider it an improvement. Don't get me wrong, I like the drama. Some of it is done very well. But the comedy has really taken a nosedive. The best comedy is when there is a serious undertone beneath the surface. And in like manner, the best dramas have really insightful comedic moments that give the audience a respite from the seriousness but also highlights the message. I think the comedy (it's appeal) has been defanged (satire). It's become so popular that it's no longer "wickedly enjoyable".
That is just my take on the current series.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Settings
Place and time. I had some conversations with some co-workers yesterday. It was regarding identity and place association. My friend P is from Italy and came to Canada when he was 20. My friend C like me was born here (in Canada) yet he only feels an association to Canada while I feel my identity associated with Asians and Chinese in particular. Many reasons for this state of affairs. I think the most significant being my sensitivity and also my upbringing.
The way that I described Hong Kong is by describing the heat on the street. It's hot in Hong Kong. You feel it especially on the street because the street is sweating. And it's not just damp, it's the smell of soy sauce that makes it so distinctive. The streets have enough traffic to make it feel dirty. It's just a busy pavement. You can't fault it for being busy. And that in a nutshell is how I characterize the people as well, busy.
So it is alittle strange that I would feel an affinity to a long distant place. A place that is quite different from my birth place. But there it is. It's the history of a place that lends itself to reverence and respect. You look at the Americas as an example and you hear the bands playing and you visualize kids from all over the US giving allegiance to the flag, etc. Of course it's not the flag that deserves such reverence (the flag is the symbol) but it's the documents of the founding of the republic which deserves admiration. So as with any place there are "features" which give it meaning, significance. It's a place where people have made it a home. A place surrounded by a culture announcing it's appetites and affectations saying to the world, "Here I am. This is me. This is my heritage". I don't believe I've ever felt that way. And I don't necessarily feel that way about Hong Kong either. I'm not from Hong Kong. But Hong Kong has a special place in the history of my family. It was a staging point toward eventually migration to Canada. The culture of my family is tied to Hong Kong as well.
The way that I described Hong Kong is by describing the heat on the street. It's hot in Hong Kong. You feel it especially on the street because the street is sweating. And it's not just damp, it's the smell of soy sauce that makes it so distinctive. The streets have enough traffic to make it feel dirty. It's just a busy pavement. You can't fault it for being busy. And that in a nutshell is how I characterize the people as well, busy.
So it is alittle strange that I would feel an affinity to a long distant place. A place that is quite different from my birth place. But there it is. It's the history of a place that lends itself to reverence and respect. You look at the Americas as an example and you hear the bands playing and you visualize kids from all over the US giving allegiance to the flag, etc. Of course it's not the flag that deserves such reverence (the flag is the symbol) but it's the documents of the founding of the republic which deserves admiration. So as with any place there are "features" which give it meaning, significance. It's a place where people have made it a home. A place surrounded by a culture announcing it's appetites and affectations saying to the world, "Here I am. This is me. This is my heritage". I don't believe I've ever felt that way. And I don't necessarily feel that way about Hong Kong either. I'm not from Hong Kong. But Hong Kong has a special place in the history of my family. It was a staging point toward eventually migration to Canada. The culture of my family is tied to Hong Kong as well.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Joining the gadget revolution
My first post from my new used iPhone 3G. I started shopping for a new phone a few weeks back. I forget what prompted me to try. Oh yeah it was the fact that I started using SMS more regularly. Using SMS was due to the convenience of communicating at a club. So example, you've just been thrown out, u can now text ur ppl to come and fetch u. :)
Anyway, this is slow compared to my blackberry but it will do. I can see how this enables u to blog while on the go.
Sent from my iPhone
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