What a Man Wants

By now many of you have probably read the list of things that Amanda suggests packing when moving to China (http://mandachino.blogspot.com/). Her list is very well put together and quite extensive. Instead of trying to give a list of similar items, I have decided to make a list of things from a man’s perspective. As a man, what do I want?
1. Laptop – Amanda stated that a computer is a must, and she is exactly right. To take it a step further, I suggest you have a laptop. Laptops are portable but they can come with almost the same capabilities as a desktop. If you get a laptop, make sure it is Wi-Fi ready. If it does not have a wireless card built in, ones that connect externally can be purchased for relatively cheap. Why is a computer such a necessity? We have found that we use our computers every day. We use it to study, communicate with family and friends, teach, and even to watch TV and movies. Skype is the program that we use to chat with friends and you can also use it to do a live video conversation. The best part is that it is a free service. It has helped stave off home sickness because we don’t feel so isolated. (FYI – My laptop is an Acer that came with all the bells and whistles for less than $700 new. Amanda’s Compact Presario cost half that used.)
2. Wireless router – Since we have internet access in our home, and use our computers so much, I am glad I brought a wireless router from the States. You can get them here, and several of my friends have them, but I like being able to set it up and configure it myself. One of my friends has a local one and has had a lot of trouble setting up his network because the router’s setup page is in Chinese. It is not a must have but it is a reasonable want.
3. Pleco - If you have been reading my blog for anytime, you have heard me refer to Pleco before. To quote directly from its homepage: “Pleco Software is a cool little New York company focused on exactly one thing: creating the world's best tools for learning Chinese”. I believe they have. I love mine. It has helped me sooooo much. It has a feature that lets you create flashcards that you can use to study characters. I use this feature almost every day. (When I get out of class each day, I create new flashcards using the new vocabulary of the day.) Another great feature is the character recognition feature. When I come across a character that I don’t know, I can write it and the program will give me the pinyin and definition. Of course it is also a Chinese/English dictionary. If I can’t think of a word, I can type it in and it will give me the Chinese word. It also has the best tech support that I have encountered. I have had several technical questions about it, and I have gotten replies within hours, answering my questions and providing solutions. On top of all that, it will even pronounce words for you, which helps with tones. The downside is that you must have a PDA to run it. However, you can usually find them for a relatively cheap price on Ebay. Back home, Amanda and I bought Palm E2’s for about $70 apiece. Depending on which package you get, the program cost $70 - $150. We have the $150 dollar package and for me it was worth every penny! (When we purchased Pleco it was cheaper but they have since come out with a newer version which we were able to upgrade to for free.) http://www.pleco.com/ (A cell phone is a must here as well. If you can find an unlocked PDA phone for a good price you may want to buy one. This way you can kill two birds with one stone. I have a Palm Treo 650.)
4. Entertainment:
A. Movies & TV - Sometimes after spending a whole day in China, speaking, reading, and thinking Chinese, it is nice to get away from it all. We do this by watching TV shows and movies in English. Of course you can bring your movie collection with you but that takes up a lot of space. There is software available that will legally allow you to copy your DVDs to your hard drive. This is a very convenient way to take your movies with you. You can sometimes find the latest TV shows on the internet, so should be able to keep up with any shows that you like.
B. Video Games – OK. I recognize this is definitely not a “need” but if you will look at the title of this post, I did call it “What a Man WANTS”. Before coming to China, I sold my PS2. Now, I wish I had not. There are days when I wish I could kick back and play a little Tiger Woods golf or NCAA football. Oh, well. I hope Sylvia and the kids are enjoying it. A nice alternative to bringing a gaming console may be to bring the PC version of your favorite game.
C. MP4 Player – These handy devices are not as expensive as they use to be (thank you EBay), and they have a number of useful applications. For the 20 plus hour flight, I enjoyed having my own music with me; ditto, for the overnight train and bus rides that I have been on. Besides music though, you can load language lessons on them (I have Pimsleur Mandarin and German loaded on my Zune), and I listen to my lessons every day. I also have a few movies loaded on mine. Amanda and I each got a 30g Zune for less than $100 on EBay.
5. Electronics – Just a small point on electronic and electrical devices. The voltage of standard electrical outlets here is considerably different from the US (220v compared to 110v). For many major electronics this is not a problem, but for smaller items it is. For the times when needed, I bought a power inverter in the US for $15 - $20. Check and see whether or not the device in question needs a power inverter by looking on or around the plug. If it says 110/220 on it, then it should be fine. Devices such as battery chargers and electric razors bought in the States usually cannot handle more than 110v. Be sure to check this out. When we were in Berlin our battery charger burnt up when it was plugged directly into the outlet.
As you can see, besides the necessities, in my opinion there are few needs for a man here. But as for what a man wants, they fall along the same lines as they did back home – electronics. I don’t know what it is about electronics. Why do they draw men to them like moths to a flame? Whatever it is, it is a pandemic. - Frank
“Man is a game playing animal and a computer is another way to play games”
Scott Adams quotes (American Cartoonist, b.1957)