About the pimsleur language program

What is pimsleur?

Is the reason why i can speak many languages.

but what is it?

an audio language learning program.

is it free?

of course

how to get it?

first download torrent, go to the pirate bay and type
pimsleur + the language you want to learn on the search bar, so if you want to learn turkish
you want to type: pimsleur turkish, order the results by number of seeders and open the ones who have more seeders with utorrent.

is there pimsleur for every language?

couple dozen


how many languages have you used it for?

so far portuguese, italian, french, german, japanese, korean and chinese.

How many lessons for each language?

there are 90 lessons for each language that would cover all the basics of grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, some culture notes and if you finish the 90 lessons you can get by on the language you are learning, then you just need to practice and use the vocab you learned.

how good is it compared to other language learning programs?

Pimsleur is a very systematic, very structured method, it gives you tons of very basic vocab and forces you to speak and make sentences.
there's no slang at all so it's like learning from a text book, you will learn to use a very neutral version of the language with neutral accent.
after you finish pimsleur I'd strongly recommend you to complement it with the 101series, chinese101, korean101, spanish101, and so on. they are great for learning slang and really useful vocabulary and expression that you wouldn't find on a text book, the 101 series are usually ongoing so it never finishes, as there is always new stuff to learn.
and once you're proficient on the language you are studying i'd recommend you the "in flight" series paired up with some word list, for vocabulary building. to download the 101, in flight, and word list is the same as for pimsleur: torrent, pirate bay, order by seeders, open with torrent.


are you stil using pimsleur this days?

No, because there was a problem with my last mp3 player.

what happened?

Well, it's a long story actually, I've had 4 mp3 players in my life, first it was a red one i got in spain, that one just stopped working by itself, then there was a pink one i got in spain also in 2006,
that one worked until 2009 and then also decided to stop working, then in china at school, our boss gave us a white one that was also mp4 player, problem was the storage was quite low so couldn't put much inside, that one got a virus and then the screen cracked while it was in the bag. and the last one that I had been using since 2009 till now was also the best one, it was blue and had a lot of space, like 6gb and it was very light and stylish  small, it was perfect. and I loved it because it had been a gift from Kishi, so I had kept it in my pocket and used it regularly for almost 4 years.
but while in NZ few weeks ago I was reviewing some korean lessons while on the way back through the park and I stumbled upon a fountain.
I always check the fountains at the park because many times they have coins that have either grown by themselves from the bottom of the fountain or have been dropped by some birds who were transporting them somewhere.
So I forgot I had the mp3 player on my jacket poket instead of the trouser's pocket, as the one in the jacket is on the sides, so you can put your hands in while you walk, and that makes things fall also. and the one in the trousers nothing can fall from there. SO what I did, I leaned to grab the coins and forgot about the mp3 player, so it slipped off my jacket pocket and fell into the water, ruining my week, lost one of my precious possessions just for a few coins.
so stupid.


Who is Kishi?

oh, very very cute chinese girl and very very sweet. We used to live together in china. she really loved me and treated my like a king.

What happened to her?

Nothing happened to her, she's still in china.

Do you miss her?

Maybe a bit sometimes, I have ambivalent feelings about it actually. On one hand I know she was just perfect for me, On the other hand she didn't really like my lifestyle of traveling and moving around, she wanted to stay in china for some reason. And I couldn't stay in china any longer, because well, I don't know how to say this nicely, but It's a shithole there.
I really loved her and if it had been any other country I'd had probably stayed with her, but not china.


But if you had really loved her you would have stayed with her anywhere, even china.

Have you even been to china?

No, just saying.

I thought we were takling about the pimsleur program.

This is more interesting.

I do think sometimes that I should have stayed there with her, but china... ufff.. it's the worst country ever. I had eventually got used to the air pollution, and the spitting, and the noise, and the people.
But the smoking is just too much, in the elevator, in the cinema, on the bus, at school, hospital, office, everywhere on the streets and places to eat, every single place, it's just too much.
I understand they are chinese and everything, but it's just too much.

Did you ask her to move to other country with you?

I begged her to, i wanted to take her anywhere, anywhere but china. And she said no, because she likes china and it's her home.

That's understandable, most people can't even consider your lifestyle, they can't just detach from everything and move somewhere else just because.

It's not just because it was to be with me.

I know, but why she has to be the one to make the sacrifice of moving abroad and you can't make the sacrifice of staying there.

That's why I said, if it had been any other country I would have probably stayed, just not china, and probably not india either.

Have you been to all the countries in the world?

Of course not.

So you will find that there are many places even worse than china and india, in africa for example. You should open your mind and be more open to different cultures, you should stay in china and make a life there with cute kishi.

I know you say that because you have never been to china.

But it's a big country and everywhere is different.

Slightly different, very slightly.

It's not the same being in hainan than in tianjin, they have desserts, mountains, valleys, they have everything there.

It's still china though.

I know but you said she got you an mp3 player and treated you like a king.

Still China.

China china china, yes, but the girl is more important.

and actually if I hadn't left i wouldn't be writing this right now, because the succession of events that lead to me getting a laptop and starting a blog happened BECAUSE I left china.

You don't know maybe it would have happened anyway.

Maybe not, and you wouldn't exist, so me leaving china is actually the reason you exist, so you should be happy I left, and you should be proud of me for keeping moving forward instead of getting stuck in a place I hate.

I just want you to be happy, and thought if the girl can make you happy the place shouldn't mind so much.

yes... but china... :(

I know, I know, don't worry, you don't need to go back there ever again, ok?

do you promise? :)

I promise.

And what about Kishi?

well you know kishi means river bank in japanese, and in the river there are many fish, you will meet a fish that doesn't need to be in china.

well, either that or I just get myself a new mp3 player

now we're talking!

Living in Asia as a vegetarian 1

How to survive in south and far east east asia as a vegan/vegetarian:

Japan:  Pretty tough. Fruits and veggies are crazy expensive, only affordable options are udon, katsu-udon but have to fish out some sea food from it, tempura, and foreign restaurants which cost at least twice as much as local ones. The only cheap supermarket is called "super tamade" where they sell lots of pre cooked vegetarian options, and of course sushi, tempura, saldas, at around 100 or 200 yen a tray. Hyaku en, 100 yen shops are your best friends to find some salads, fruits, drinks, noodles and many other stuff. It's pretty much same as a 7/11 but everything costs 100 yen. And as a last resource you can always throw away the inside thing of the onigiri and eat the rest.

Korea: Moderate. While eating out you have like 2 options, kimbab or bibimbab. While ordering kimbap make sure you say something like "ham bek chusaio" so they dont put ham on it. If you're not vegan there's always "Pizza school", they are everywhere and you can get a huge pizza for 5.000 won. Street food is alright, there's a fish shaped pastry that has red beans inside and is pretty cheap, often you can find tempura and fried veggies. They have many chige, which is like a stew or hot pot, sundobu chigae, or kimchi are good but you may have to take out some sea food from it.
Mr pizza could be the best value for money restaurant, they have salad buffet for 6.000 won, so all you can eat of saldas, fruits, some cold noodles and other stuff.

China: Fairly easy. Fruits and veggies are dime a dozen and they are everywhere, options are plenty, rice and noodles with vegetables everywhere, beans, vegetable bbq at night. They use almost no dairy while cooking, so very easy for vegans.

Taiwan: Very easy. By far best vegetarian food in east asia. Vegetarian restaurants everywhere, and most normal restaurants have at least a few vegetarian options. Great variety, affordable and extremely tasty. Even 7/11 are quite cheap and have fresh fruits and salads, noodles, vegetarian fried rice, vegetarian dumplings, fries, nuts, pastries, tofu and many other things.

Malaysia: Delicious indian food, samosa, curries, roti, paratha, puri, chapati, many dosas, delicious chinese vegetarian restaurants, delicious malay food, some fried noodles, rice with veggies, lost of street food and fruits. From penang, to melaka, to sabah, most dishes are delicious + juice bars + fruits everywhere.

Phillipines: Probably worst food in SE asia, there are some fruit markets and western food places, so it's possible to kind of get by on a vegetarian diet.

Laos: Rice with veggies + fruits.

Singapore: Same as malaysia, just more pricey.

Indonesia: Not as bad a phillipines, but local cuisine doesn't have much to offer for vegetarians, there's is gado gado and that's pretty much it. You may find some indian food in bali if you're lucky, but in sumatra, java or borneo you're going to eat your rice with veggies, every day + fruits :)

Living in Argentina as a vegetarian

I frequently tell people I grew up in Argentina, and one of the most frequent questions I'm asked is: "was it tough being a vegetarian there?"

Answer is always no.

Of course, we find there's a big meat eating culture there, but there are also many sub-cultures who chose to oppose it for some reason, so you've got the hippies, the SxE, the are krishna, the budhists, the hindu, the animals rights defenders, the environmentalists who do it for the planet and many other groups who have chosen not to eat meat.

That sumed up to the fact that many italians have migrated there during the last centuries, so pasta, pizza, ice cream, bread, everywhere, plenty of vegetarian buffets, choices are many.

To conclude, we can observe that during the last 20 years Argentina has seen, same as most developed countries, an increase in awareness regarding social, ethical and environmental issues, and finds itself slowly evolving towards a more humane, more compassionate society day by day.

What's your visa?

I met some north american friends the other day that are quite new to taiwan, and they couldn't stop laughing when I told them taiwanese people always ask me about my visa status.
Young and old people alike they are like really interested to know what visa foreigners have.


At the beginning i didn't understand why they were laughing, because after some years in asia I just got used to people asking about that, in japan. korea and taiwan people for some reason really need to know what your visa status is.


In south east asia they don't seem to care about that though.

Maybe people here need to make sure you're legally staying on the country or they want to see if you will stay a long time, or maybe it's to check your social status, so they can elitistly judge you by how much money you have, as people without the working visa can't work here, so they are automatically assigned a lower social status, either by being poor or by being forced by the system to work "illegally". Because sadly we live in a country where is illegal for human being to work without papers. And even more sadly is the fact that people here think that's right, because the government say so, and everything the government says is right.


People with a student visa are somehow under the wing of a recognized goernment institution in the country, making them decent citizens, as they are part of the system that helps maintain the status quo. Unless they got the visa attending a language school or private institute, instead of an university. In that case they are assigned the same social status as someone on a tourist visa.


People on a tourist visa, unless they are tourists, get placed in this underdog category, not yet a criminal but not someone they would like to hang out with either.



To conclude, in the eyes of taiwanese, korean, japanese people they use the visa question with this simple formula to judge the foreigners:

Working visa = Good people
Student visa = Good people (unless it's from a language school)
Any other visa = Bad people


Coming back to the laughs though, first I didn't get it, but then I saw how ridiculous it sounded, because they sound like policeman when they ask you that. And because as a foreigner myself, if somebody comes to the country I live, It would never even cross my mind to ask them about their visa, but maybe also times have changed now and I've been a foreigner for too long, got used to that and started seeing it as normal, or just the way it is.

But when we meet someone from another culture they help us see things from a different perspective, and sometimes no words are needed, but a a rapid honest laugh can make us understand how flawed our position really is.

Flash mob

Inmate 1: So, why are you here?

Inmate 2: I killed 8 people

Inmate 1: crazy! how?

Inmate 2: headshot

Inmate 1: but, why?

Inmate 2: well, it's complicated, i thought they were zombies

Inmate 1: and they weren't?

Inmate 2: they were normal teenagers, it was a zombie flash mob, so they were dressed as zombies
and acting as them, but they were normal people

Inmate 1: so it was all a big misunderstanding then

Inmate 2: pretty much


Inmate 1: the judge didn't see it that way?

Inmate 2: no, he said I should have known


Inmate 1: he didn't considered that you're too old to know what
 flash mob even means, or that young people would do those things

Inmate 2: exactly


Inmate 1: have you declared yourself insane?

Inmate 2: no, but I admitted i made a mistake, said it wouldn't happen again,
but it wasn't enough for them.

Inmate 1: not a very forgiving society

Inmate 2: they believe in punishment, they even want to punish you for
something you didn't even know was a mistake

Inmate 1: how could you have known?

Inmate 2: that's what I said, I was hoping to become a hero
or maybe not that, but I was thinking about surviving, you know when you
see zombies you start thinking that your species has to survive and if you don't
kill them your species would go extinct.

Inmate 1: basic biology

Inmate 2: Yes, it was my self preserving instinct that triggered and
I was just doing what had to be done in to enssure the continuity of my species

Inmate 1: our species

Inmate 2: flash mob...

Inmate 1: pfff...

Inmate 2: how about you? why are you here?

Inmate 1: I killed 6 people

Inmate 2: were they zombies too?

Inmate 1: no, they just pissed me off

Inmate 2: fair enough

Wearing old clothes

Few days before I left Argentina to go to Spain to see Gustavo, he said: Bring only the new clothes you have, leave all the old ones and broken ones behind.

Now some years later I find myself doing exactly the opposite.

If clothes look too new I feel guilty for wearing them, because I always feel I should be wearing old torn clothes and sleeping in the park with the homeless where I belong.

Can't go asking for a ride or food with new clothes, because they will think I don't really need them and just want to get stuff for free. That if I can afford those clothes, I can probably also pay for the bus or food.

Old clothes have a history, you've done so much with them and know they wont let you down. New ones I look at them and think "what should I do with this?" They look so delicate 'm afraid of losing them, breaking them, or wearing them.

And again I feel guilty, because of the environmental damage that was caused to produce, transport and distribute those new clothes. When I know we already have everything we need. Don't need to make new stuff, just need to lean how to share the ones we already have :)

Hiding stuff

Friend: Where's your stash?

Bruno: I'm not gonna tell you.


Friend: You should.

Bruno: Why?

Friend: Well, during the years that you have been moving around, sometimes you've come to accumulate stuff you couldn't take with you when you left, so had to be hidden somewhere. You wouldn't just give them to a friend, because you don't want to be a burden or trouble other people with your stuff. You know they also have to move around and can't be carrying your stuff around. You wouldn't pay a storage room because you're a cheap bastard and most times are not even sure if you'll come back to that country. So they have to be hidden somewhere.

Bruno: There may be some stuff here and there, but why would I leave something valuable behind? Why not just selling it and taking the money with me?

Friend: Well maybe you had to leave on a rush and didn't have time to sell it, maybe they were too bulky or inconvenient to sell, maybe it was something illegal, or something that's not valuable yet but maybe be in 50 years time. Or maybe something that could get you into trouble if you go through customs with it. Knowing you I wouldn't be surprised if you had 100 dolars in pennies buried somewhere because you know price of copper is always on the rise. Or some antiques, something. Maybe it's like an insurance for when you're old.

Bruno: But then that would occupy space on my memory, I have to remember the location of the stuff, the location of the key or the password.

Friend: So there's a key and a password, we're getting somewhere now.

Bruno: And if I tell someone it wouldn't be a secret anymore.

Friend: Was it a gym locker?  Was it a chest buried on some beach?

Bruno: Maybe.

Friend: If you die nobody will find it, ever, because you haven't told anyone about it.

Bruno: Well, if I die, you don't need to worry about it anymore.

Friend: I think you would hide it in nature, because a man made structure is much more likely to be destroyed, searched or rebuilt, a beach, forest, or rock in the other hand would probably be there for a while. It should be somewhere near some places you used to live, a familiar location, a place you know better than anyone. A place you've walked by hundreds of times, you are always searching for a place to sleep at night in case you need to, a place covered, private, and always searching for the perfect spot to hide something in case you have to.

Bruno: It's probably just some old books and clothes, you shouldn't worry so much about it.

Friend: Yeah, you're right.

Bruno: Or maybe not.

Friend: Damn.