About 2am or so, (wild guess), I went back up to my apartment and sat against the door. For the next 5 hours, I sat against the door, looked out the window, circled the block. Repeat.
Finally, my body clock told me it was around 7am. MacDonalds time.
7:10am: I got eggs, sausage, english muffin, coffee (18.50RMB). Free refill on the coffee.
7:50am: Went in search of the landlords office. I was there once before over two months ago.
9:00am: Never did find the office. But, I did find the elevator lady. Begged her help. She walked a block with me trying to find a public phone. Ended up borrowing some guys cel phone. Landlord will meet me at my place.
9:01am: Landlord calls my boss
9:20am: Landlord opens the door.
9:21am: I show landlord that I DO have my keys, they were just inside the house.
9:22am: The sister of one of my bosses calls my cel. I ignore. Restroom.
9:23am: The sister calls from the phone of the boss that I am not hitting on. I answer. "Yes. I'm fine. Don't worry. Yes, I have my keys. Yes, I know. No, I didn't. I would have. I didn't know. I'll write it down and save it for next time. I'm going to sleep."
9:47am: The boss I'm not hitting on: "You owe us all a New Years Present for making us worry." Me: "Okay. You name it. I'm fine. Don't worry. Yes I have my keys. Yes, I know. No, I didn't. I would have. I didn't know. I'll write it down and save it for next time. In case you forgot, I handled this pretty well I think. 3 hotels. Walked. Fireworks. Walked. Good times. Not bleeding, not arrested, not sick. Yes, Ma'am. It's all good. Fun, actually."
---
And that brings us current.
---
I'm in my house. I have my keys. Happy as a clam. Still haven't slept though.
---
I wonder sometimes...
-A blind leap to San Diego, leads to my longest, closest friends ever.
-A blind leap to San Francisco brings me closer to family than ever.
-A blind leap to China finds me loving life again, not just living life.
-Getting lost at that first Show, and getting lost ever since. (Neal will know what I mean.)
-Forgetting my keys, and being "amazed" for the first time in years.
Am I doing it right? Or, doing it wrong and getting lucky?
It doesn't really matter, I guess. "Right" 51% of the time, or "Wrong but Lucky" 51% of the time. It all works out.
As long as I'm on the postive side of 50, I have no complaints.
---
The only bad thing about my Lunar New Year Experience (cue Jimi Hendrix)... I had planned on verifying how to say "Happy Spring Festival" in Chinese. I can say it, not sure I can type it though. I was going to do that yesterday, so that I could be on time for once. Circumstances got in the way though. So, I'll say it the way I know how...
---
Happy New Year!
Happy Spring Festival!
Happy Year of the Dog!
2006-01-29
Lunar New Year - Part 2 - "The KEY thing to remember...", "It's a very KEY point...", "The KEY to everything..."
So anyway... About 7:00pm or so, I went out to watch some fireworks. Good stuff. After awhile, I went back home to do whatever. I got to my door and realized I didn't have my keys.
This is not a good thing.
I checked all my pockets 5 times. Nope. No keys.
This is a very bad thing.
It's always bad when you realize you don't have your keys. It's especially bad when...
-Your roommates are hundreds of miles away.
-Your friends/bosses (who speak English and Chinese) are hundreds of miles away.
-Your cel phone is inside the house charging up.
-You are in a foreign country.
-You live on the 15th floor of a building with no fire escapes to climb up.
-Your door is built to withstand an assault by the preaching capitalists and invading Jehovahs.
-It's below 0 degrees.
-There is no superintendent in charge of the building.
The only good part to this whole situation was that I knew where my keys were. I just couldn't get to them. They were inside the house.
Okay... So what to do?
I go back downstairs, and find the elevator lady. She speaks zero English, but I know enough Chinese to say. "I don't have my keys, and my roommates are gone to visit family. I need help." I don't know how to say "locksmith", but somehow I got the point across.
We borrowed a cel phone from someone waiting at the elevator. Called some guy who happened to speak English.
--Him: "All the workers (aka locksmiths) are gone to visit family. It's New Years Eve. Call your landlord."
--Me: "Ummm.. I have no idea who my landlord is, or where to find her."
--Him: "Ummm... Get a hotel for the night, and try again tomorrow."
--Me: "Oh hell."
Now, I'm a resourceful guy. I can handle this. Time to WANDER!!
So, I walked around. Went to one hotel. "No rooms." Liar. Went to another hotel. They had rooms. Unfortunately, I only had enough cash to cover about 8 hours, not an entire night. Went to another hotel. Same deal. Except this time, I could only have paid for 6 hours.
So... I went to MacDonalds. I was hungry, and needed the facilities. This brings me to about 10pm.
Headed back home. Watched some fireworks. Got to light a few. (I think the guy was afraid to do it himself.)
(On a side note: There is something surreal about watching a father give his 8 year old son a firework and a lighter, and then watching the kid light off a firework that shoots 20 stories in the air, and then explodes big enough to set off car alarms down on the ground. I saw this more times than you can imagine. Sometimes it wasn't a lighter. Occasionally, dad would give child a cigarette to use instead of a lighter.)
Back home... Sat in front of my door, thinking... Okay. What are my options?
Option #1 - The day before, I had located a "western-style" bar. Darts, pool tables, CNN, sports, open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Only problem. Taxi ride there would be about 40RMB. Back, would be another 40RMB. That would leave me with enough cash to buy one soda at most. Don't know if they would appreciate me hanging out for 10 hours with one soda.
Option #2 - Just hang out, and kill the time until the morning, and figure it out from there.
Seemed like my only real option was #2. Okay, fine. I can do that.
About this time, the fireworks started going off with a vengeance. Cool, something to look at.
And, I'm telling you... It was frigging amazing!
---
It must have been midnight, because the entire city was lighting off the big stuff.
I stood 25 feet away from people lighting off the big city-size fireworks. (See part 1 for the definition of "city-size fireworks.) People were hanging the strips of 2000 ladyfingers out of windows and letting them fall to the ground, exploding on the way.
Everywhere you looked, things were exploding. The noise was deafening. It was insane. I don't know how to describe it. It was just plain amazing.
---
In part 1 of this post, I mentioned something about the way the neighborhoods are set up.
-In general, you have 10 or so buildings surrounding a courtyard.
-My apartment complex has at least 234 buildings. Mine is 23 stories tall, some are only 6 stories.
-There are 3 other apartment complexes of similar size on my side of the street. The other side of the street has a similar set up.
-Each block has more or less the same kind of deal.
Now imagine EVERY SINGLE ONE of these courtyards shooting off city-size fireworks. And imagine these same fireworks going off the tops of apartment buildings. And, m-1080s on every side-street, and roman candles everywhere, and sparklers, and piccolo pete's and you name it.
China doesn't just do colored sparkles. It does colored sparkles that shoot 25 stories in the air and explode extremely loudly.
---
I admit, over the years I had gotten bored with fireworks. When you see them once a year (aka July 4th), they can be cool. But, when you live in San Diego and from your front porch you can see the Sea World fireworks EVERYDAY, they kind of lose their special-ness.
(Although I do admit, sitting on the sand in Ocean Beach with a keg of beer, friends, fireworks, and a marshmellow fight is damn awesome.)
(San Francisco 4th of July is worthless. Fog, fog, and more fog.)
---
Beijing has reintroduced the coolness of fireworks to me. There is something amazing about an entire city of 14 million people shooting off fireworks non-stop for over a week. Big ones, little ones, loud ones, not-quite-as-loud ones. (There are no quiet ones here.)
---
I don't know how many times I said to myself last night, "Friggin COOL!" I know that on at least a few occasions, I turned to the person next to me (who probably didn't understand English) and said, "Thats COOL!" And, even as I sit here typing, I still find myself saying, "Damn. That's friggin cool!"
---
Beijing on Lunar New Year's Eve 2006.
-My kids have been the best part of my Beijing life so far. Watching them do their thing at the Xmas Pageant was a proud moment for me. The progression from then to now is an amazing thing.
-Other than the times with the kids, I must say that last night was the best time I have had in Beijing in my 2.5 months here. I said "Friggin Cool" more times than I can remember, and I meant it everytime.
---
Of course, I still didn't have my keys.
This is not a good thing.
I checked all my pockets 5 times. Nope. No keys.
This is a very bad thing.
It's always bad when you realize you don't have your keys. It's especially bad when...
-Your roommates are hundreds of miles away.
-Your friends/bosses (who speak English and Chinese) are hundreds of miles away.
-Your cel phone is inside the house charging up.
-You are in a foreign country.
-You live on the 15th floor of a building with no fire escapes to climb up.
-Your door is built to withstand an assault by the preaching capitalists and invading Jehovahs.
-It's below 0 degrees.
-There is no superintendent in charge of the building.
The only good part to this whole situation was that I knew where my keys were. I just couldn't get to them. They were inside the house.
Okay... So what to do?
I go back downstairs, and find the elevator lady. She speaks zero English, but I know enough Chinese to say. "I don't have my keys, and my roommates are gone to visit family. I need help." I don't know how to say "locksmith", but somehow I got the point across.
We borrowed a cel phone from someone waiting at the elevator. Called some guy who happened to speak English.
--Him: "All the workers (aka locksmiths) are gone to visit family. It's New Years Eve. Call your landlord."
--Me: "Ummm.. I have no idea who my landlord is, or where to find her."
--Him: "Ummm... Get a hotel for the night, and try again tomorrow."
--Me: "Oh hell."
Now, I'm a resourceful guy. I can handle this. Time to WANDER!!
So, I walked around. Went to one hotel. "No rooms." Liar. Went to another hotel. They had rooms. Unfortunately, I only had enough cash to cover about 8 hours, not an entire night. Went to another hotel. Same deal. Except this time, I could only have paid for 6 hours.
So... I went to MacDonalds. I was hungry, and needed the facilities. This brings me to about 10pm.
Headed back home. Watched some fireworks. Got to light a few. (I think the guy was afraid to do it himself.)
(On a side note: There is something surreal about watching a father give his 8 year old son a firework and a lighter, and then watching the kid light off a firework that shoots 20 stories in the air, and then explodes big enough to set off car alarms down on the ground. I saw this more times than you can imagine. Sometimes it wasn't a lighter. Occasionally, dad would give child a cigarette to use instead of a lighter.)
Back home... Sat in front of my door, thinking... Okay. What are my options?
Option #1 - The day before, I had located a "western-style" bar. Darts, pool tables, CNN, sports, open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Only problem. Taxi ride there would be about 40RMB. Back, would be another 40RMB. That would leave me with enough cash to buy one soda at most. Don't know if they would appreciate me hanging out for 10 hours with one soda.
Option #2 - Just hang out, and kill the time until the morning, and figure it out from there.
Seemed like my only real option was #2. Okay, fine. I can do that.
About this time, the fireworks started going off with a vengeance. Cool, something to look at.
And, I'm telling you... It was frigging amazing!
---
It must have been midnight, because the entire city was lighting off the big stuff.
I stood 25 feet away from people lighting off the big city-size fireworks. (See part 1 for the definition of "city-size fireworks.) People were hanging the strips of 2000 ladyfingers out of windows and letting them fall to the ground, exploding on the way.
Everywhere you looked, things were exploding. The noise was deafening. It was insane. I don't know how to describe it. It was just plain amazing.
---
In part 1 of this post, I mentioned something about the way the neighborhoods are set up.
-In general, you have 10 or so buildings surrounding a courtyard.
-My apartment complex has at least 234 buildings. Mine is 23 stories tall, some are only 6 stories.
-There are 3 other apartment complexes of similar size on my side of the street. The other side of the street has a similar set up.
-Each block has more or less the same kind of deal.
Now imagine EVERY SINGLE ONE of these courtyards shooting off city-size fireworks. And imagine these same fireworks going off the tops of apartment buildings. And, m-1080s on every side-street, and roman candles everywhere, and sparklers, and piccolo pete's and you name it.
China doesn't just do colored sparkles. It does colored sparkles that shoot 25 stories in the air and explode extremely loudly.
---
I admit, over the years I had gotten bored with fireworks. When you see them once a year (aka July 4th), they can be cool. But, when you live in San Diego and from your front porch you can see the Sea World fireworks EVERYDAY, they kind of lose their special-ness.
(Although I do admit, sitting on the sand in Ocean Beach with a keg of beer, friends, fireworks, and a marshmellow fight is damn awesome.)
(San Francisco 4th of July is worthless. Fog, fog, and more fog.)
---
Beijing has reintroduced the coolness of fireworks to me. There is something amazing about an entire city of 14 million people shooting off fireworks non-stop for over a week. Big ones, little ones, loud ones, not-quite-as-loud ones. (There are no quiet ones here.)
---
I don't know how many times I said to myself last night, "Friggin COOL!" I know that on at least a few occasions, I turned to the person next to me (who probably didn't understand English) and said, "Thats COOL!" And, even as I sit here typing, I still find myself saying, "Damn. That's friggin cool!"
---
Beijing on Lunar New Year's Eve 2006.
-My kids have been the best part of my Beijing life so far. Watching them do their thing at the Xmas Pageant was a proud moment for me. The progression from then to now is an amazing thing.
-Other than the times with the kids, I must say that last night was the best time I have had in Beijing in my 2.5 months here. I said "Friggin Cool" more times than I can remember, and I meant it everytime.
---
Of course, I still didn't have my keys.
Lunar New Year - Part 1 - Magores Lives in a War Zone
(This ended up being a multi-part post... This is part 1. Read on, and you'll see why this is taking more than one post.)
---------------
For the past week or so, I have been hearing "small arms fire" and "howitzer-sized" kabooms outside my window.
I admit that I have never been in a gun battle, or anywhere close to a war zone. But, I imagine that Beijing right now, sounds something like Iraq does.
Don't worry though. I live in a reasonably respectable neighborhood. (No gang-bangers.) And, as far as I know, nobody is invading.
What is happening is... It's New Year's Eve. Lunar New Year, that is. And the Lunar New Year means lots of fireworks. And, I'm talking LOTS of fireworks.
Some people may understand what a "shload" is. In case you don't, here's the explanation... A "shload" is a "shit load". And what we have in Beijing right now is a shload of fireworks.
Keep in mind that the Chinese invented fireworks a long time ago. They've had a long time to figure out how to make things go boom in a spectacular fashion.
Everyone knows what an m-80 is, right? Now imagine, m-1080s being shot into the air. Strings of "ladyfingers" 2000 fingers long. Roman Candles that could literally light up Rome. And... You know the fireworks that US cities shoot off on July 4th? THe ones that make you go "ooh" and "ahh"? I call these "city-size" fireworks. (They aren't as big as a city, but in the US only the cities can shoot them off.) Beijing has those too. Only... They aren't being set off by the city. Some guy bought these somewhere, and is shooting them off his porch. It really is insane.
I tried to take pictures of some of the fireworks... Oh jeezus... I literally just saw two of those big city-size fireworks go off prematurely in the courtyard of an apartment building across the street. It's friggin insane.
Sigh... I don't see a fire, and I don't hear sirens, so I guess everything is okay.
--
I don't know of any way to get across the point of how many fireworks there are right now... Maybe if you think about it this way... Beijing has 14 million people (I think). Let's say that 3 million of them are lighting fireworks. Typically they are lighting strings of ladyfingers with 2000 fingers each, or the flying m-1080s which shoot 10 each. Add in the businesses which are doing their part. And, the crazy people with the city size things. And, the kids with their sparklers.... Its friggin insane.
--
Jeezus.... More of those city size fireworks... Not premature exactly, but they aren't going higher that the buildings around them. Buildings are 25 stories. Explosions went off at about the 13th floor.
--
One of these days, I'll have to explain how the "community" ("xi li") or "neighborhood" thing works in Beijing. For now, just imagine ten 25-story apartment buildings encircling a courtyard. Then imagine that the only people that know how to access that courtyard are people that actually live there. Now, keep in mind that I live in building #208 of my xi li. I've been here over 2 months and saw building #23 for the first time today.
--
Back to the fireworks... It's not even 6pm yet. From what I understand, things get really interesting at midnight.
---
This year might be something of an anomoly. (Speeling?) Apparently, Beijing and all the other big cities in China outlawed fireworks 12 years ago. This is the first year in Beijing that they are legal again. Apparently, the government didn't think about legalizing only the "Safe and Sane" type.
---
Of course, the Lunar New Year is about a lot more than just fireworks. Its really more like a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas. China does T-Day and Xmas because they are excuses to have a party, but this is when China REALLY celebrates.
Basically, the entire country takes a week holiday, and goes home.
Beijing is like San Diego or San Francisco. Nobody that lives here is actually FROM there.
All the maids, contruction workers, and everybody else that is in Beijing, aren't actually from Beijing. They came to the "big city" to earn money. Once a year they get to go home to their rural provinces and visit their wives, husbands, and kids. That's right. Many of the people only see their immediate family for 7 days a year. And that time is right now.
The week long holiday is a pretty good idea actually. I don't know if the whole thing is government sanctioned, or "just the way it is". I do find something nice about the fact that the entire country recognizes the fact that "you gotta see family". And, you get a week to do it, rather than just a day or two.
One whole week might be a bow to reality though... From what I gather, most people go home by train. Because there are so many people going home at the same time, tickets can be hard to get. Standing Room Only tickets, for 12 hour rides, are scalped for 4 times the regular price. Sometimes you just cannot get a train ticket, and you have to take the bus instead. (I haven't figured out why this is bad. Bus trips seem to be shorter - 11 hours vs 14 hours, etc. But, the natives seem to want the train, so I'll trust them.)
7 days off. 2 days to travel. 5 days at home. Not a bad concept.
--
I'll admit that I'm kind of torn. Being here right now (as in today and this week), is kinda cool. The fireworks... Seeing everyone prepare for the family get together... It's a good deal. But, I'm thinking about next year.
Would anyone really want to see me in the middle of February 2007? (Thats when Lunar New Year is next year.) After all, I expect to be in the US for Thanksgiving 2006. And, the way I see it, I could do 1 day in the US, or 49 days. And, I'm pretty sure, they'll want me back no matter how long my vacation is. (The school promotes "me". And therefore, I think they want/need "me".)
Tell you the truth... I live on Chinese wages... I probably coulnd't afford 49 days in the US. Much less flying to the US twice in 3 months.
In case you missed it, in my mind, its pretty much a given that I will come back for another year. And probably another year after that. (Can you say Olympics?)
---
What can I say? I love what I do, and where I do it.
I like my job. My job seems to like me. I love the kids. The kids seem to like me. The city is dirty and smelly. I'm dirty and smelly!
I would leave.. Why?
---
BTW...
Happy New Year Everyone!!!
-------------
-------------
At this point, I stopped typing and went outside to watch fireworks.
Part 2 of this post deals with when I tried to go back home.
Yes, I said "tried".
-------------
-------------
---------------
For the past week or so, I have been hearing "small arms fire" and "howitzer-sized" kabooms outside my window.
I admit that I have never been in a gun battle, or anywhere close to a war zone. But, I imagine that Beijing right now, sounds something like Iraq does.
Don't worry though. I live in a reasonably respectable neighborhood. (No gang-bangers.) And, as far as I know, nobody is invading.
What is happening is... It's New Year's Eve. Lunar New Year, that is. And the Lunar New Year means lots of fireworks. And, I'm talking LOTS of fireworks.
Some people may understand what a "shload" is. In case you don't, here's the explanation... A "shload" is a "shit load". And what we have in Beijing right now is a shload of fireworks.
Keep in mind that the Chinese invented fireworks a long time ago. They've had a long time to figure out how to make things go boom in a spectacular fashion.
Everyone knows what an m-80 is, right? Now imagine, m-1080s being shot into the air. Strings of "ladyfingers" 2000 fingers long. Roman Candles that could literally light up Rome. And... You know the fireworks that US cities shoot off on July 4th? THe ones that make you go "ooh" and "ahh"? I call these "city-size" fireworks. (They aren't as big as a city, but in the US only the cities can shoot them off.) Beijing has those too. Only... They aren't being set off by the city. Some guy bought these somewhere, and is shooting them off his porch. It really is insane.
I tried to take pictures of some of the fireworks... Oh jeezus... I literally just saw two of those big city-size fireworks go off prematurely in the courtyard of an apartment building across the street. It's friggin insane.
Sigh... I don't see a fire, and I don't hear sirens, so I guess everything is okay.
--
I don't know of any way to get across the point of how many fireworks there are right now... Maybe if you think about it this way... Beijing has 14 million people (I think). Let's say that 3 million of them are lighting fireworks. Typically they are lighting strings of ladyfingers with 2000 fingers each, or the flying m-1080s which shoot 10 each. Add in the businesses which are doing their part. And, the crazy people with the city size things. And, the kids with their sparklers.... Its friggin insane.
--
Jeezus.... More of those city size fireworks... Not premature exactly, but they aren't going higher that the buildings around them. Buildings are 25 stories. Explosions went off at about the 13th floor.
--
One of these days, I'll have to explain how the "community" ("xi li") or "neighborhood" thing works in Beijing. For now, just imagine ten 25-story apartment buildings encircling a courtyard. Then imagine that the only people that know how to access that courtyard are people that actually live there. Now, keep in mind that I live in building #208 of my xi li. I've been here over 2 months and saw building #23 for the first time today.
--
Back to the fireworks... It's not even 6pm yet. From what I understand, things get really interesting at midnight.
---
This year might be something of an anomoly. (Speeling?) Apparently, Beijing and all the other big cities in China outlawed fireworks 12 years ago. This is the first year in Beijing that they are legal again. Apparently, the government didn't think about legalizing only the "Safe and Sane" type.
---
Of course, the Lunar New Year is about a lot more than just fireworks. Its really more like a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas. China does T-Day and Xmas because they are excuses to have a party, but this is when China REALLY celebrates.
Basically, the entire country takes a week holiday, and goes home.
Beijing is like San Diego or San Francisco. Nobody that lives here is actually FROM there.
All the maids, contruction workers, and everybody else that is in Beijing, aren't actually from Beijing. They came to the "big city" to earn money. Once a year they get to go home to their rural provinces and visit their wives, husbands, and kids. That's right. Many of the people only see their immediate family for 7 days a year. And that time is right now.
The week long holiday is a pretty good idea actually. I don't know if the whole thing is government sanctioned, or "just the way it is". I do find something nice about the fact that the entire country recognizes the fact that "you gotta see family". And, you get a week to do it, rather than just a day or two.
One whole week might be a bow to reality though... From what I gather, most people go home by train. Because there are so many people going home at the same time, tickets can be hard to get. Standing Room Only tickets, for 12 hour rides, are scalped for 4 times the regular price. Sometimes you just cannot get a train ticket, and you have to take the bus instead. (I haven't figured out why this is bad. Bus trips seem to be shorter - 11 hours vs 14 hours, etc. But, the natives seem to want the train, so I'll trust them.)
7 days off. 2 days to travel. 5 days at home. Not a bad concept.
--
I'll admit that I'm kind of torn. Being here right now (as in today and this week), is kinda cool. The fireworks... Seeing everyone prepare for the family get together... It's a good deal. But, I'm thinking about next year.
Would anyone really want to see me in the middle of February 2007? (Thats when Lunar New Year is next year.) After all, I expect to be in the US for Thanksgiving 2006. And, the way I see it, I could do 1 day in the US, or 49 days. And, I'm pretty sure, they'll want me back no matter how long my vacation is. (The school promotes "me". And therefore, I think they want/need "me".)
Tell you the truth... I live on Chinese wages... I probably coulnd't afford 49 days in the US. Much less flying to the US twice in 3 months.
In case you missed it, in my mind, its pretty much a given that I will come back for another year. And probably another year after that. (Can you say Olympics?)
---
What can I say? I love what I do, and where I do it.
I like my job. My job seems to like me. I love the kids. The kids seem to like me. The city is dirty and smelly. I'm dirty and smelly!
I would leave.. Why?
---
BTW...
Happy New Year Everyone!!!
-------------
-------------
At this point, I stopped typing and went outside to watch fireworks.
Part 2 of this post deals with when I tried to go back home.
Yes, I said "tried".
-------------
-------------
2006-01-24
Magores goes "off-topic"
So far, this blog has been primarily related to my life in China. And, this is a "Good Thing"(tm).
But, I'm interested in more things than just my own life. (Believe it or not.)
I'm something of a "political-junkie" and a "news-whore".
---
I love the news. I love politics.
---
I'm not saying that politics and the news are necessarily "good". I'm just saying that I like these ideas/concepts/things.
Related to these interests of mine, I stumbled across this link.
It's worth a read, in my opinion. Enjoy, or not. Your choice.
The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2005
http://buffalobeast.com/91/50.htm
But, I'm interested in more things than just my own life. (Believe it or not.)
I'm something of a "political-junkie" and a "news-whore".
---
I love the news. I love politics.
---
I'm not saying that politics and the news are necessarily "good". I'm just saying that I like these ideas/concepts/things.
Related to these interests of mine, I stumbled across this link.
It's worth a read, in my opinion. Enjoy, or not. Your choice.
The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2005
http://buffalobeast.com/91/50.htm
Magores didn't take these pictures, but they are darn cool
I don't know anything about the photographer, the locations, or anything.
I stumbled across these pictures earlier today, and thought they were worth sharing.
This is the kind of stuff I want to see while I'm here...
http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~fj102/photo/beautiful%20china.htm
I stumbled across these pictures earlier today, and thought they were worth sharing.
This is the kind of stuff I want to see while I'm here...
http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~fj102/photo/beautiful%20china.htm
2006-01-19
Magores avoids Jing Jing and Cha Cha as much as possible
Coming up from my last post, I thought I would post something silly/interesting/surreal/funny.
Just my luck, I stumbled across something that fits all these categories. (Damn. I have good luck when it counts!)
This also gives me a chance to see how the "link" thing on blogger works. I won't know until I publish this, so bear with me if its not what we all might expect.
Anyway...
Shanghaiist.com is the site of some guy that writes about living in Shanghai. I write (barely amusing) anecdotes. He writes real commentary about real stuff.
The linked article relates to my Censorship post.
I think I'm okay. In my time in Beijing, I have never experienced Jing Jing or Cha Cha.
Jing Jing? Cha Cha? Sounds like something you have to pay extra for.
All in all? "Bring out the Jing Jing!" "Time to go Cha Cha on your ass!"
No thanks.
---
Read the link.
Just my luck, I stumbled across something that fits all these categories. (Damn. I have good luck when it counts!)
This also gives me a chance to see how the "link" thing on blogger works. I won't know until I publish this, so bear with me if its not what we all might expect.
Anyway...
Shanghaiist.com is the site of some guy that writes about living in Shanghai. I write (barely amusing) anecdotes. He writes real commentary about real stuff.
The linked article relates to my Censorship post.
I think I'm okay. In my time in Beijing, I have never experienced Jing Jing or Cha Cha.
Jing Jing? Cha Cha? Sounds like something you have to pay extra for.
All in all? "Bring out the Jing Jing!" "Time to go Cha Cha on your ass!"
No thanks.
---
Read the link.
R.I.P.
This is a serious post about something not related to China, so feel free to move along if you aren't interested.
----
The other day, I got an email from my parents. A very good friend of mine from the old days passed away.
When I say "old days", I do mean old days.
Rob was my best friend all through Jr High and High School.
----
We met the first day of Jr. High. I was the new kid. I had just moved into town a short time before. At the urging of some of the other kids in our homeroom, we got into a fistfight.
Neither of us was much of a fighter, and nobody really "won" the fight.
From that moment forward, Rob and I were friends.
----
We lived one block away from each other. Most of the other people from our school lived a few blocks closer to the school.
We hung out constantly.
----
We got into trouble together. We avoided trouble together. We did stupid things. We did (almost) smart things.
----
Me and Rob and Steve. Me and Rob and Terry. Me and Rob and ....
----
I helped change his brother's diaper. I got hit in the head by a brass lighter that his other brother threw (30 feet). We shot marbles out of his window with a wrist-rocket and hit his neighbor on the wrist (on the rebound! I swear!)
----
After I moved away to college, we lost touch.
I came back once or twice, and we hung out. But, things had changed. It wasn't the same.
----
Fast-forward 20 years or so....
----
Last year was a school "reunion year". Class president got my email somehow. Rob saw my email, and said howdy. I said howdy back. A couple chats back and forth.
And then I got involved in the details of moving here. And, the fact of moving here. And, the reality of moving here. And, then being here.
----
And then I hear Rob died.
----
I have nothing witty to say. No snide comments. No stupid jokes.
----
I just hope Rob understands how much I appreciate his impact on my life. Whether we talked daily, or once a decade... He was, and always will be, my friend.
----
The other day, I got an email from my parents. A very good friend of mine from the old days passed away.
When I say "old days", I do mean old days.
Rob was my best friend all through Jr High and High School.
----
We met the first day of Jr. High. I was the new kid. I had just moved into town a short time before. At the urging of some of the other kids in our homeroom, we got into a fistfight.
Neither of us was much of a fighter, and nobody really "won" the fight.
From that moment forward, Rob and I were friends.
----
We lived one block away from each other. Most of the other people from our school lived a few blocks closer to the school.
We hung out constantly.
----
We got into trouble together. We avoided trouble together. We did stupid things. We did (almost) smart things.
----
Me and Rob and Steve. Me and Rob and Terry. Me and Rob and ....
----
I helped change his brother's diaper. I got hit in the head by a brass lighter that his other brother threw (30 feet). We shot marbles out of his window with a wrist-rocket and hit his neighbor on the wrist (on the rebound! I swear!)
----
After I moved away to college, we lost touch.
I came back once or twice, and we hung out. But, things had changed. It wasn't the same.
----
Fast-forward 20 years or so....
----
Last year was a school "reunion year". Class president got my email somehow. Rob saw my email, and said howdy. I said howdy back. A couple chats back and forth.
And then I got involved in the details of moving here. And, the fact of moving here. And, the reality of moving here. And, then being here.
----
And then I hear Rob died.
----
I have nothing witty to say. No snide comments. No stupid jokes.
----
I just hope Rob understands how much I appreciate his impact on my life. Whether we talked daily, or once a decade... He was, and always will be, my friend.
Magores dodges Landmines
I mentioned previously that crossing the street in Beijing is a matter of taking your life into your own hands.
At the time I wrote that post, I didn't completely realize how much of a life-changing experience just walking on the sidewalk was.
To put it bluntly, Beijing is littered with landmines.
---
They are not the type of landmines you might think of when you first hear the word though.
"Beijing Landmines" are commonly translated into English (by me) as:
1) "Dog Shit" sitting on the sidewalk and/or
2) "Huge Globs of Green Snot and Phlegm" sitting on the sidewalk
---
First, lets discuss doggie-doo.
For pretty much all of my adult life, I have lived in California. Now, I readily admit that California can be weird about some things. But California cities have a rule (written? unwritten?) that is actually pretty good. The rule goes something like this...
"If you are walking your dog, and your dog poops, you are obligated to pick up the poop and dispose of it in a trash can."
If you are in the rural areas, the rules are a bit different. But, if you are in a place that has more concrete than wheat, thats the rule.
Beijing doesn't have that rule.
Therefore... Beijing Landmine Style #1
---
Next, lets discuss Globs of Snot and Phelgm
Spitting is one of those things that people in California would commonly consider to be a bad habit. But, they do it anyway.
Occasionally, you'll be walking along the streets of San Francisco, or LA, or San Diego, or whereever, and you'll hear that distinctive "Krrgghhts" sound. Then, some guy (usually age 12-21) will "hawk a loogie" into the gutter.
Beijing is a little different.
Instead of "occasionally", you hear that sound "constantly". And instead of "some guy" its being made by some "person". (Guys/Gals ... doesn't matter. This city has equal rights as far as that is concerned. And, age doesn't mean anything. 12-120 its all good) And, instead of the gutter, the loogie will usually end up, about 6 inches from where the person is standing. Sometimes, this means the gutter. More often than not, it means on the sidewalk... 6 inches from you!
Beijing Landmine Style #2-A
Beijing also adds a twist to this scenario.
Often, you will will hear a different sound. Instead of "krrgghhts", you will hear "fffshhhttss". This is the signal that someone is holding a finger to one nostril, and blowing snot out of the other.
Beijing Landmine Style #2-B
---
Keep in mind that Beijing is friggin cold. Today's high was -3 Celcius. That equals -450 Farenheit, or something.
Cold weather like this causes snot and plhegm. And you can see the proof of that fact on the sidewalk.
---
I tried to think of a way to work in the concept that "Spitting is China's national pastime." But, I couldn't figure out how to do it. But, it is. IT REALLY IS. I'M NOT EXAGGERATING!
I've seen a great-great-grandmother hawk a loogie the size of a calf brain. Her husband completely covered it with a snot-ball. And then their dog came along and left a "present" right next to it.
---
So there you go. Thats a little bit about what life in Beijing is really like.
Damn, I love this place!
At the time I wrote that post, I didn't completely realize how much of a life-changing experience just walking on the sidewalk was.
To put it bluntly, Beijing is littered with landmines.
---
They are not the type of landmines you might think of when you first hear the word though.
"Beijing Landmines" are commonly translated into English (by me) as:
1) "Dog Shit" sitting on the sidewalk and/or
2) "Huge Globs of Green Snot and Phlegm" sitting on the sidewalk
---
First, lets discuss doggie-doo.
For pretty much all of my adult life, I have lived in California. Now, I readily admit that California can be weird about some things. But California cities have a rule (written? unwritten?) that is actually pretty good. The rule goes something like this...
"If you are walking your dog, and your dog poops, you are obligated to pick up the poop and dispose of it in a trash can."
If you are in the rural areas, the rules are a bit different. But, if you are in a place that has more concrete than wheat, thats the rule.
Beijing doesn't have that rule.
Therefore... Beijing Landmine Style #1
---
Next, lets discuss Globs of Snot and Phelgm
Spitting is one of those things that people in California would commonly consider to be a bad habit. But, they do it anyway.
Occasionally, you'll be walking along the streets of San Francisco, or LA, or San Diego, or whereever, and you'll hear that distinctive "Krrgghhts" sound. Then, some guy (usually age 12-21) will "hawk a loogie" into the gutter.
Beijing is a little different.
Instead of "occasionally", you hear that sound "constantly". And instead of "some guy" its being made by some "person". (Guys/Gals ... doesn't matter. This city has equal rights as far as that is concerned. And, age doesn't mean anything. 12-120 its all good) And, instead of the gutter, the loogie will usually end up, about 6 inches from where the person is standing. Sometimes, this means the gutter. More often than not, it means on the sidewalk... 6 inches from you!
Beijing Landmine Style #2-A
Beijing also adds a twist to this scenario.
Often, you will will hear a different sound. Instead of "krrgghhts", you will hear "fffshhhttss". This is the signal that someone is holding a finger to one nostril, and blowing snot out of the other.
Beijing Landmine Style #2-B
---
Keep in mind that Beijing is friggin cold. Today's high was -3 Celcius. That equals -450 Farenheit, or something.
Cold weather like this causes snot and plhegm. And you can see the proof of that fact on the sidewalk.
---
I tried to think of a way to work in the concept that "Spitting is China's national pastime." But, I couldn't figure out how to do it. But, it is. IT REALLY IS. I'M NOT EXAGGERATING!
I've seen a great-great-grandmother hawk a loogie the size of a calf brain. Her husband completely covered it with a snot-ball. And then their dog came along and left a "present" right next to it.
---
So there you go. Thats a little bit about what life in Beijing is really like.
Damn, I love this place!
2006-01-17
Magores is a good boy
It's funny.
Out of everything that I have written so far, there is one topic that has gotten the most responses.
I've responded to the emails, but I suppose I should respond here as well...
Don't worry. I'm not trying to date my boss.
(More details as they become available ;) <----Thats a joke folks!)
Out of everything that I have written so far, there is one topic that has gotten the most responses.
I've responded to the emails, but I suppose I should respond here as well...
Don't worry. I'm not trying to date my boss.
(More details as they become available ;) <----Thats a joke folks!)
2006-01-05
Magores wasn't censored.... Or, was he????
I actually started this post about 2 weeks ago. Then, mysteriously, my internet access didn't work. It took over a week to get everything sorted out. Officially, things weren't working because I rebooted without actually disconnecting from my ISP first. Sounds reasonable. But, if you know the backstory, it seems kinda weird.
Here's the backstory...
One night, I was fiddling on the internet. For whatever reason, that night I was interested in "this country's" internet policy. Related to this topic was recent stories related to a blogger that writes stuff in "this country's language" about "this country's politics."
There were things that I was blocked from seeing. But, there are ways around that. So, I read what I wanted to.
I decided to write something here. It started like this...
---
New Stuff, Old Stuff, and Random Thoughts
New Stuff --
When it comes to the news, the internet, magazines, etc., it's pretty well acknowledged that "this country" censors what people inside the country can see.
(I'm going to try use "this country" whenever I remember to. It's pretty obvious what country I am referring to, but if a small euphamism helps things, then so be it.)
In fact, there is a term for this fact. You've heard of The Great Wall of [This Country]? Well, [this country] has a thing commonly known as The Great (fire)Wall of [this country].
This firewall keeps out things that the country doesn't want people to see.
You know... For me, at least, it's not as bad as it sounds.
----
That's as far as I got in writing that night. I was tired. I saved what I had written, and figured I would get back to it the next day.
The next day, I couldn't log on to the internet at all.
As I said, it took over a week to get everything worked out.
-
Now, I'm not paranoid enough to think that ANY country cares what I say. One or two people, maybe. But, an entire country? Nah. Especially, when what I was attempting to say was overall not too critical of the policy in question.
But... In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about a few things... (This country) literally has 40,000 people that do nothing but watch what everyone else is doing on the internet. Did I view something I wasn't suppossed to see? Yep. Did I actively work around the controls in place in order to view those things? Yep. Am I up shit creek? Quite possibly.
Like I said above, the reason provided to me seems reasonable, and being the trusting soul that I am, I'm going with it.
But...
Here's the backstory...
One night, I was fiddling on the internet. For whatever reason, that night I was interested in "this country's" internet policy. Related to this topic was recent stories related to a blogger that writes stuff in "this country's language" about "this country's politics."
There were things that I was blocked from seeing. But, there are ways around that. So, I read what I wanted to.
I decided to write something here. It started like this...
---
New Stuff, Old Stuff, and Random Thoughts
New Stuff --
When it comes to the news, the internet, magazines, etc., it's pretty well acknowledged that "this country" censors what people inside the country can see.
(I'm going to try use "this country" whenever I remember to. It's pretty obvious what country I am referring to, but if a small euphamism helps things, then so be it.)
In fact, there is a term for this fact. You've heard of The Great Wall of [This Country]? Well, [this country] has a thing commonly known as The Great (fire)Wall of [this country].
This firewall keeps out things that the country doesn't want people to see.
You know... For me, at least, it's not as bad as it sounds.
----
That's as far as I got in writing that night. I was tired. I saved what I had written, and figured I would get back to it the next day.
The next day, I couldn't log on to the internet at all.
As I said, it took over a week to get everything worked out.
-
Now, I'm not paranoid enough to think that ANY country cares what I say. One or two people, maybe. But, an entire country? Nah. Especially, when what I was attempting to say was overall not too critical of the policy in question.
But... In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about a few things... (This country) literally has 40,000 people that do nothing but watch what everyone else is doing on the internet. Did I view something I wasn't suppossed to see? Yep. Did I actively work around the controls in place in order to view those things? Yep. Am I up shit creek? Quite possibly.
Like I said above, the reason provided to me seems reasonable, and being the trusting soul that I am, I'm going with it.
But...
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