Painting a pretty picture when it comes to speaking Chinese
2012-05-03 09:47:29
I am a self-made woman in several fields, including learning languages. As I preach to others: Don't wait to be perfect in a language before you start to use it.
I dressed to impress but ended up depressed
2012-04-24 10:06:51
My appearance stood out like a sore thumb - but not because I was the only foreign guest attending the banquet.
It's a smooth ride when translation apps are close at hand
2012-04-12 10:31:08
Getting a taxi in Beijing nowadays is increasingly a game of luck. One needs that perfect combination of right time, right place and the right people.
Dreams of my twins starring in CCTV gala are on hold
2012-03-29 10:48:52
From the time we found out we were having twin girls, my wife and I have been daydreaming about what their futures might hold.
Do Chinese have straight intestines, and foreigners wiggly ones?
2012-03-20 13:16:56
One of my neighbors believed that "foreigners" have wiggly intestines while Chinese intestines are straight.
E-bike dangers cause my thinking to switch gears
2012-03-15 13:59:00
It's no secret that traffic in China is often horrendous.
Planting serendipity to stop bugs and smokers
2012-02-28 14:05:17
In December 2011, Xie Jianping's peers offered him a seat among the elite of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
I'm giving up on giving up for Lent, having fun instead
2012-02-23 13:06:44
"My name is Ellie. I washed chocolate off my hands this morning." They all understood.
Children's bright hearts might light the road to redemption
2012-02-15 13:31:21
I'm filled with horror and righteous indignation. Why? I've just read The Flowers of War.
Why a passion for fashion amuses and bemuses me
2012-02-14 13:20:28
I'm thinking of starting a charity, one that will address an urgent and ever-worsening problem in China.
Attempts to avoid CNY minefield doomed to fail
2012-02-09 10:36:47
At home in the UK, I dread Nov 5. It's not the fact that the shops are already pumping out Bing Crosby with exhausting pre-Christmas zeal. It's the fireworks.
Home is where the heart is - and where the tracks lead
2012-02-08 11:22:32
At 12:37 pm, the elegant and futuristic-looking bullet train zips out of Jiaxing station.