chineasy visual language illustrations by noma bar + shao lan
taiwanese artist shao lan has developed ‘chineasy’, a method which allows a non-chinese readers to learn the written language by
understanding the basic letter-form and meaning in a visual manner. once a few groups of primary cornerstone chinese characters known
as radicals can be recognized, users are then able to combine the symbols and easily learn dozens of additional shapes and expressions.
I really, really hesitated for a long time before deciding to post this translation up. it’s not public, obviously, but at the rate of the 转发 is going and after rereading the post again and again, I feel like he knows we are going to read this. I don’t know, I might change my mind after awhile and delete it. honestly I’m still very torn about this…TT
TITLE: To my best friends.
5 years have passed. The change is huge, isn’t it? Actually, I have never forgotten about you guys.
I still can’t change the habit of coming online to blog and change my display pictures, even though I have already taken up this profession. I don’t want to change my original self, even though I hesitated on writing this entry and changing to this display picture for a long time.
Forget it, this is my everyday life habit. You guys understand.
Watching all of you slowly growing up, I’m really happy. I want to go to work with you guys everyday, eat with you guys and shop with you guys. But it seems like I still can’t do these things now. I’m so envious of all of you. I am always saying this, “as long as I can meet you guys.”
Nowadays, no matter what I do, there are so many people watching and commenting. Good or bad, so on and so forth. Actually, I wasn’t used to it at first, but now I’ve grown accustomed to it.
In a short span of 3 days, I’ve spent the happiest 3 days with you all. Of course, to me. Hehe.
I felt like a normal person, without any worries. Really happy, really contented. Because you guys are by my side. Dad and mum also told me that after I left, the house turned cold and lonely again. It seems so.
Karmen Pedaru in “The Apartment” by David Armstrong for Pop Magazine #28, Spring/Summer 2013
