Cool Hunting

In preparation for an upcoming trip to Beijing, I was recently given a Me No Speak Language Companion. A twist on the traditional phrase book format and design, the Me No Speak book provides small illustrations labeled in both English and Chinese so that you can point to images when trying to communicate.
This is especially effective when traveling to countries that use a different alphabet or set of characters. Oftentimes, especially with Mandarin, slipping up on even the pronunciation of a syllable can change the whole meaning of a word. So instead of ordering the noodles you could be asking for snake blood by mistake. With Me No Speak you can be sure to avoid such situations.
Conveniently pocket-sized, I'll have it on me throughout the trip so if I'm ever in need of a doctor, train station or some new underwear I won't have to mime it, I can just point to it. Purchase one for China, Japan or Thailand for $10 from Me No Speak.
|
previous entry Jayson Scott Musson: Too Black for B.E.T. Episodes I & II |
next entry You Look Great Today |
One of the world's largest metropolises, São Paulo can easily seem an overwhelming congestion of bare-skinned beauties, skyscrapers and an intense melting pot of culture. To help navigate through it all, "Total São Paulo: A Guide to the Unexpected," is a perspicacious guide and must-have travel resource from our own São Paulo resident Phuong-Cac Nguyen written especially for the creative collective's discerning eye in...
By Juliet Kinsman We assume that many of the athletes and some spectators will be doing a bit of travel outside of Beijing after the Olympics. A three hour drive southwest of Shanghai on the outskirts of Hangzhou, we recommend staying at Fuchun Resort if you're in the area. Pronounced 'Foo-choo-win,' it's the ultimate antidote to bright lights and big cities. Designed by Jean-Michel...
Shanghai is a perplexing city. The "Pearl of the East" embodies the admirable characteristics of a modern metropolis, but often the inverse as well. In "Planet Shanghai"'s introduction, travel writer John Krich asks, "Is Shanghai the epitome of urbane sophistication or urban degradation? 'World' city or world wretch? Least 'Chinese' of China's fabled places or most irrefutably so?" Known for his photo work with...
Unlike the conventional tourist guide, the PSFK Snapshot doesn't aspire to be an exhaustive overview of the city. Instead, it serves as a compendium of what the writers consider the city's most interesting and original aspects. Or as they describe in their inaugural issue, it's "a collection of the most innovative businesses, events, organizations and ideas" that the San Francisco Bay Area has to...
If you're an aspiring Egyptologist or just trying to learn Hieroglyphic script, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit Hieroglyph Edition," might be a good place to start. The complete text from the famous story was transcribed word for word to script from Egypt around the time of the Middle Kingdom. As with any language, some of the words are hard to translate directly, but Richard...
Chinglish is rampant in China. It's so prevalent that the government has dispatched teams of bloggers and linguists to clean up signs all over Beijing in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic Games. The f-word has mysteriously cropped up in many signs and until now government officials have been baffled and expats amused. Sinologist Victor Mair recently announced that he may have found the...
