Author Archives: dontai

China Limits Restaurants to 10 Foreigners in Wudao Kou, Beijing

Pyro Pizza, Beijing, Wudao Kou, 火鬼比萨, must limit foreigners to a maximum of 10, by government order. Here is the entrance from the main street. It is not very large.

Pyro Pizza, Beijing, Wudao Kou, 火鬼比萨, must limit foreigners to a maximum of 10, by government order. Here is the entrance from the main street. It is not very large.

Try, as I might, I cannot understand why the Beijing government would limit the number of foreigners that eat at local restaurants. This is in a university area. Yes, China’s National People’s Congress or NPC has started, but do government officials expect trouble from foreign university students?

Wudao Kou is an area very close by at least three large universities in Beijing: Beijing University, Qinghua University and the Beijing Foreign Language Institute.

This is a preview of China Limits Restaurants to 10 Foreigners in Wudao Kou, Beijing. Read the full post (425 words, 7 images, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Little Giant Furnace Water Pump: Overhaul

Little Giant 554405 VCMA-15 non-submersible condensate pump

Little Giant 554405 VCMA-15 non-submersible condensate pump

Awoke, we did, to a puddle at the foot of our basement stairs. Water. Perchance Little Weed had spilled a very large glass of water? Surely not. It turned out that our furnace water pump was no longer pumping. A repair was in order, and fast. Here is how I cleaned out the pump. It now works.

This is a preview of Little Giant Furnace Water Pump: Overhaul. Read the full post (1183 words, 12 images, estimated 4:44 mins reading time)

Interesting German Words That I Come Across

Schadenfreude: taking joy in others’ pain

Schadenfreude, a German word that is somewhat commonly used in English, which means taking joy in others’ pain.

Close to Huogai 活该: (coll.) serve sb right

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/german/german-words-in-english/

Freudenfreude: Finding joy in another person’s good fortune, the bliss we feel when someone else succeeds, even if it doesn’t directly involve us.
The Opposite of Schadenfreude Is Freudenfreude. Here’s How to Cultivate It.

I really love this word: Schlimmbesserung

It originates from German, Schlimmbesserungen: bad improvements

This is a preview of Interesting German Words That I Come Across. Read the full post (468 words, 1 image, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

Xi jinping Quotes

I thought that it would be appropriate that I start collecting Xi jinping quotes, as he will be immortalized in Chinese history.

陕西是根 延安是魂 延川是我第二故乡 – 习近平
Shanxi shi gen, Yan’an shi hun, Yanchuan shi wo di er guxiang – Xi Jinping
Shaanxi is the root, Yan’An is the soul, Yan Chuan is my second home – Xi Jinping

Shaanxi is the root, Yanan is the soul, Yanchuan is my second home - Xi Jinping 陕西是根 延安是魂 延川是我第二故乡 - 习近平

Shaanxi is the root, Yanan is the soul, Yanchuan is my second home – Xi Jinping 陕西是根 延安是魂 延川是我第二故乡 – 习近平

Government, the military, society and schools, north, south, east and west – the Party leads them all 党政军民学，东西南北中，党是领导一切的 2017 Oct source

Permanent link to this post (102 words, 1 image, estimated 24 secs reading time)

Imperial Sewing Machine Model 163M User Manual

Imperial Sewing Machine, Model 163M, from Pat Holland, Canada

Imperial Sewing Machine, Model 163M, from Pat Holland, Canada

Thanks goes out to Pat Holland, who graciously donated this Imperial Sewing Machine model 163M user manual to the internet. This took effort in taking a lot of photos of her machine and user manual. This machine is probably about 50 years old. Thanks, Pat!

Imperial Sewing Machine, Model 163M, from Pat Holland, Canada, photo 1

Imperial Sewing Machine, Model 163M, from Pat Holland, Canada, photo 1

Imperial Sewing Machine, Model 163M, from Pat Holland, Canada, Photo 2

Imperial Sewing Machine, Model 163M, from Pat Holland, Canada, Photo 2

Imperial Sewing Machine, Model 163M, from Pat Holland, Canada. Side View, photo 3

Imperial Sewing Machine, Model 163M, from Pat Holland, Canada. Side View, photo 3

This is a preview of Imperial Sewing Machine Model 163M User Manual. Read the full post (171 words, 4 images, estimated 41 secs reading time)

Poorly Made in China, Whats Wrong with China: Paul Midler books

Having read these books multiple times, I have found them instructional and deep in trying to understand the intent of Chinese factory owners and Chinese manufacturing in general. China’s manufacturing tactics heavily borrow from Chinese culture, which is much different in philosophy from the West.

Poorly Made in China

– Paul Midler, Jan 2011
The author goes through stories of North American traders and their dealings with Chinese factory owners. While his trials and tribulations are interesting, some of his overall observations are enlightening.

This is a preview of Poorly Made in China, Whats Wrong with China: Paul Midler books. Read the full post (954 words, 0 images, estimated 3:49 mins reading time)

LG Optimus Net p500h Smartphone from Koodo: Unlocking

LG p500h Optimus One smartphone, circa 2011, unlocked from Koodo for use on the Bell network, Canada.

LG p500h Optimus One smartphone, circa 2010, unlocked from Koodo for use on the Bell network, Canada.

Somehow I have an LG p500h smartphone, which was locked to Koodo. As Canadian law has changed, forcing mobile service providers to unlock phones free of charge, I went on Koodo’s Facebook page and requested an unlock code. They gave it to me and I was able to unlock the phone. I put my Bell sim card in and it worked! Yay, I have a 2011 phone, but it works!

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PDF of graphics: Convert to Searchable and Text Copyable for Ubuntu 16.04 using OCRMyPdf

Manulife blacklist of health services providers provided in PDF but all pages are images. You therefore cannot copy or search the 22 pages.

Manulife blacklist of health services providers provided in PDF but all pages are images. You therefore cannot copy or search the 22 pages.

Our insurer, Manulife, has a list of health service providers, available on PDF, that are black listed. If you use any of them Manulife will not reimburse you. These companies go back to 2015. My doctor has recommended a provider near my house, so I wanted to check if the provider was blacklisted.

This is a preview of PDF of graphics: Convert to Searchable and Text Copyable for Ubuntu 16.04 using OCRMyPdf. Read the full post (459 words, 1 image, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)