Pet Peeves

[finley]

I always choose "United States Minor Outlying Islands."

Taiwan should just officially adopt than name and solve several problems at once

[Chris]

Noises at night. especially when you want to go to sleep early and the whole universe conspires against you:

9pm: me and 4 cats in bed, like a letter in an envelope

10pm: neighbor decides to start the KTV soulfull mourning...

12pm: baby next door does not want to go to sleep. Dad slaps him silly.

1:30am: neighbors are fighting, police scooter comes by my alley, argument ensues, dog barks -my dog is sensitive to noise-, someone calls someone nuts and end of story.

Earplugs!

[Funk500]

I always choose "United States Minor Outlying Islands."

Taiwan should just officially adopt than name and solve several problems at once

Also have your zipcode as 90210.. Its been working for me for years. Although, in fairness it IS easy to confuse me with a rich Beverly Hills teen.

[Mucha Man]

Noises at night. especially when you want to go to sleep early and the whole universe conspires against you:

9pm: me and 4 cats in bed, like a letter in an envelope

10pm: neighbor decides to start the KTV soulfull mourning...

12pm: baby next door does not want to go to sleep. Dad slaps him silly.

1:30am: neighbors are fighting, police scooter comes by my alley, argument ensues, dog barks -my dog is sensitive to noise-, someone calls someone nuts and end of story.

Earplugs!

New neighborhood.

[tash]

Noises at night. especially when you want to go to sleep early and the whole universe conspires against you:

9pm: me and 4 cats in bed, like a letter in an envelope

10pm: neighbor decides to start the KTV soulfull mourning...

12pm: baby next door does not want to go to sleep. Dad slaps him silly.

1:30am: neighbors are fighting, police scooter comes by my alley, argument ensues, dog barks -my dog is sensitive to noise-, someone calls someone nuts and end of story.

Earplugs!

I'm still dependent on earplugs, four years after leaving Taiwan

[Chris]

In one of my jobs, I often translate essays with the student (the client) sitting next to me. Some peeves:

1. Students who read aloud everything I type as I type it. Sorry, it's distracting. Worse is students who keep fidgeting or shaking a leg as I work. Stop it, please.

2. Students who think they can just grab my mouse when they please, or place their arms or personal effects on my mousepad. Sorry, I'm using it.

3. Students who start explaining what the next clause is about just when I'm trying to read it myself and formulate a suitable English equivalent in my mind. I know you're trying to help, but please stop: I'm not staring into space; I'm thinking.

4. Students who question practically every word I type. "Why did you write 'perhaps'? Why not 'maybe'? 'Hone'? What does that mean? 'Stand her in good stead'? Is that English? 'Ability to reason'? What's that? 'Well thought out'? Why 'out?' Hey, you typed two prepositions in a row! Are you really a native speaker of English?"

5. Students who, after I finish the case, say "By the way, I have another essay to translate." Um, why didn't you tell me at the beginning of the session, when I asked you if you had any other essays to translate?

6. Students who say, "Why did you leave out the part about me being a humble, unquestioningly obedient, filial little girl who is so dedicated to my work that I even came in to teach my kindergarten class when I was sick with a horrendous communicable disease?" (Sorry, I reserve the right to delete things that are culturally inappropriate.)

7. The following conversation:
Student: "Oh, you can go ahead and delete that bit."
Me: "Which bit?"
Student (pointing in a vague, general area of the computer screen): "That bit."
Me: "From where to where?"
Student: "Starting from there."
Me: "OK, and ending where?"
Student: "Ummm... ummmm... there" (never once pointing to an exact location)
Me: (Goes ahead and deletes everything the student seemed to indicate)
Student: No, not that bit...
Me: (Running screaming to an early grave)

[zyzzx]

I always choose "United States Minor Outlying Islands."

Taiwan should just officially adopt than name and solve several problems at once

Grrr, I just had to fill out a form that had a big long list of countries, including some things I'd never even heard of (French Southern Territory? Wallis and Futuna Islands? Tokelau?), but NO Taiwan, no ROC, no "Taiwan, Province of China", nothing. Not even a plain old China. This is for a job application, so I didn't want to pick something off the wall, so I had to suck it up and go with People's Republic of China as the closest option (I guess something sent to Taiwan, PRC would have a chance of making it here?).
This after wrestling with a form for another job that wouldn't let me input any phone numbers with more digits than a US number and didn't even have a spot to put your country, so I had to co-opt the state slot. God I hate human resources bureaucracy and online application forms

[Chris]

The term "Chinese Taipei" when used outside an Olympic context.

Screw it, I'm peeved by "Chinese Taipei" in any context!

[k.k.]

Screw it, I'm peeved by "Chinese Taipei" in any context!

Hear, hear!

[citizen k]

I am the 50,000th viewer of this thread! Hurrah to me and the Chinese Taipei Ice Hockey League!