chinesisms

Well, I wanted to learn authentic Filipino-Chinese culture.  There are however, five things holding me back: (1) I do not have funds for this, (2) I do not have enough time for this, (3) I don’t know where to start, (4) I’m unsure about this lifetime project, and (5) I also need to learn Japanese.  Feeling inadequate in monetary, time, energy and psychic costs, I need to see to it that the functional and emotional benefits of doing this project so reaps a greater ratio in value (as we do in marketing, of course).  So and so, how do I pull off the trick of learning the culture and its language in a very short period of time?

Read the rest of “get immersed in the chinese culture” »

Mr. Tan., a telemarketer of a discount club firm, generously shared his know-how in counting Fookien and Mandarin without getting any sales from my end. Well, this was further confirmed to be correct by Maxx as we walked home. Another version emerged when I had to upload the numbers through my E-marketing personal website project from Ms. Ngo. Well after so much of nose bleed, the knowledge paid off while having coffee at Cafe Breton, Greenbelt with 2 Fil-Chi friends. A few price rates where exchanged in Chinese and I felt a second notch of excitement when I completely understood the price Mr. M was talking about even before he paused to translate the number to me. Let’s post the Fookien version here as future reference for my forgetful mind:

(1) Tsit,
(2) Di,
(3) Sa,
(4) Si,
(5) Go,
(6) Lak,
(7) Chit,
(8) Pwe,
(9) Kaw,
[and]
(10) Chap!

Above is how we count in cumulative form such as when we tell prices. To make this in hundreds, we simply add ~pa after each word. For example, we say tsit pa for 100, di pa for 200, sa pa for 300,.. and so on. However, we cannot use pa as a single word just as how hundred itself is used in English. Next, we do not say tsap-pa since this is already considered a thousand. We now move to the second level which is tiyaw, so we say we have 1,000 by saying tsit (one) tiyaw (thousand).

If you are wondering how we say 11, 12, 13,.. 21, 22, 23,… 31, 32, 33,.. and so on, we simply say the chap tsit for 11, chap di for 12, chap sa for 13,… di chap tsit for 21, di chap di for 22, di chap sa for 23,… sa chap tsit for 31, sa chap di for 32, sa chap sa for 33,.. and so on.

For additional references in speaking Chinese, we recommend visiting these free online tutorials:
Learn Hokkien (Taiwanese, similar to Fookien)
Chinese Pod (Mandarin with conversations)
Zap Chinese (Mandarin with strict audio)

It is said that if you dine at a Chinese restaurant, the bill is usually high and there would be leftovers while a bigger group can have the advantage of a smaller bill. Well even if that is the case, you can never go wrong at Hong Kong Chef Restaurant. Right beside the Macapagal Boulevard at the HK Sun Plaza Building, the 2-storey restaurant boasts a fine dining Hong Kong cuisine experience. The service has a human touch, the food delightful in taste and serving, and the cost as close as the prevailing fast food chains in the area (Brother Burger, Chowking, and Jollibee). A valued client of our company recently commented that their food is surprisingly inexpensive despite the complete set of meal we ordered.

You are greeted by a host where you will be seated and an appetizer would be served (roasted peanuts in sesame seeds). The menu is offered but you can always ask the host about their most ordered or their food suggestion. The serving time is fast even at the most packed hours and the food is equally fresh and warm. There are a number of dining room attendants and there would always be at least one main host at the dinner area. Hot tea is also served of no charge.

Probably, the Chef is really from Hong Kong as the sound of Cantonese fills the air at most nights (I cannot count the times I have dined here as this is one of the favorites even for Chinese take- outs). Their congee is quite unique as this is a bowlful cooked rice immersed in a soup filled with fish fillet, vegetable and century egg that is good for 2-3 persons. I also recommend trying out their King Thu Spareribs for sweet tooths, Salt and Pepper Calamares for spicy craving, and Hakaw (real shrimp) for dimsum needs.

If you don’t know the HK Sunplaza at Macapagal Boulevard, you might want to see these sites for additional references or business opportunities:
HK Sun Plaza
Earth Trade Link

Ongpin had always been a childhood dream eversince my mom narrated to me about my lolo’s bouts of having a medical check up there. My first time at Ongpin was at the age of 21, where I was wide eyed like a 7-year old child to realize I was actually walking those streets (It was also my first date with my Chinito-eyed ^_^). Going there had brought giggles for a while, but later on, the travel from Pasay to Binondo, Manila had been tiring specially if you’re on commute after lunch.

Imagine a surprise one Saturday morning when I’ve managed to get a load of The Philippine Star free at Jollibee before I sped to my 2nd class session of Marketing. A new Chinatown has just soft opened today at Aseana Business Park, at Pasay! It’s in the middle of Power Station (where our favorite Japanese restaurant, Yasubei, stood) and Mall of Asia. If we drop ourselves after the Macapagal Boulevard street (through commute), we can walk down the street for probably a few blocks only (but I can’t seem to trust it without muggers on the way, so I hope a transportation cooperative realizes that need for a public commute). Otherwise, we probably should hire a private taxi.

Neo Chinatown is located at Aseana Business Park, Paranaque City (along Macapagal Boulevard strip). It is the pioneer project of Bay Pacific Neo Chinatown Inc. To know more about Neo Chinatown, I suggest you visit the press releases, personal blogs and official profile of the company at:

A New Chinatown Arises
Aseana Business Park
Jagerlomo (Blog)
Neo Chinatown Appears at the Bay
Soft Opening of Neo Chinatown Commercial Complex