it’s the end of the world as we know it …
… and i feel fine
Back in America, when I first told people I was moving to China, some immediately expressed concern for my safety. Communism equals crises in the minds of most Americans, who still have an antiquated Cultural Revolution image of the country. Before I left, one of my former co-workers advised me to call the same person back home at the same time every week. That way, if one week I failed to make that call, my family would know something was wrong — they could call the American government and put into motion the process that would lead to my safe removal from the country. I never took her advice. And now, as my dear nation is in the throes of war, I find it strange that I feel much safer here in communist China than I would in nearly any city in America.
03.31.2003, 11:31 PM · Observations, Politics · Comments (5)
or do i? (cough, cough)
Um yeah, well there’s that SARS bug going around over here. Just over a week ago, I asked one of my Shanghainese friends about it … and he had never heard of it. Ah yes, that good ol’ state-run media. Never let a worldwide epidemic get in the way of a story that promotes party politics.
But who will be laughing when the entire readership is dead? Well, no one, I would assume.
03.31.2003, 11:28 PM · Observations, Politics · Comments (2)
taxi driver: “no psychos”
make this photo your desktop image!
Dazhong Taxi Co., Shanghai
Passenger Notice
Rule No. 2: “Passengers are not allowed to carry with them any contraband goods, smoke, spit, or to dump inside taxis. Psychos or drunkards without guardians are prohibited to take taxis. Be sure to check your belongings when you get off.”
Standard Service Process
“A. Pasengers get on — ask for the destination — choose the roads — open the taxi meter
B. Reach the destination — pause — quote — print
C. Settle the taxi fare — declare the amount received from the passenger — give back change — give receipt
D. Passengers get off — remind — check — say goodbye”
Click here to hear the recorded voice you hear when you enter a Jinjiang taxi — the nice white ones — in Shanghai. The English part starts after 16 seconds and says: "Hello passenge. Welcome to take Jinjiang taxi. We will provide service for you with all my heart. Our call number is 62155555 (inaudible). Wish you have a pleasant journey."
your taste in movies sucks
Disagree? Well, check for yourself. Go to the orange street oscars website to see which movies you should have liked in 2002. This site’s got so much indie cred that no one’s ever heard of it.
Think the orange street guys are full of shit? Tell them on their message board.
03.18.2003, 7:33 PM · Movies · Comments (5)
at least seattle has mountains you can look at
So, it’s late, late, late here. I shouldn’t be writing this. I should be writing something else, a real assignment, the deadline for which is fast approaching. But no, why not make this entire day a waste? And so, I sit here eating fried rice out of a flimsy styrofoam container, spilling as much food onto my floor as I shovel into my mouth, reminding myself that before I try to learn the Chinese tongue I should first master their utensils. It’s been a day of projects started and then abandoned. I’m even considering stopping this meal midway, just to stay consistent.
03.16.2003, 3:30 AM · Observations · Comments (2)
i need to take a xintiandi
Ever wonder what locals think of the newfangled fancy-shmancy Western haunts in Shanghai?
Here’s what my Shanghainese friend Johnson said during a rare walk through Xintiandi recently:
“I hear toilets here are very nice.”
03.14.2003, 3:01 AM · Humor
i kept the slippers
Maybe six months on a hard Chinese mattress has turned me into a softie, but I’m ready to declare the beds at the Shanghai Four Seasons Hotel the most comfortable in the world. I had the delight of dozing on a king-size one last weekend … and I felt like I was floating.
Really, the entire weekend was a dream, an odd out-of-body experience that had me hovering somewhere between the reality of China and an artificial adaptation of America, which I generally only see in the movies (or when I happen to be traveling with my friend Veronica).
03.07.2003, 12:07 PM · Observations · Comments (3)
blue eyes, not black
Just to clear up some confusion: I am not the poor bloke with a black eye in one of this site’s former featured photos. That is my friend Glen. I was the photographer.
To see the photo click here.
03.07.2003, 1:59 AM · Photos · Comments (5)
campus culture
What’s currently blaring through the outdoor PA system here at Shanghai University’s Yan Chang Lu Campus? You guessed it: “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. Further proof that it’s currently 1982 here in Shanghai.
In other campus culture news …
One of my students has taken to calling me “bro.”
Another likes to greet me with “How you doin’?,” which he picked up from watching Joey Tribbianni on Friends.
Should I be worried?
03.03.2003, 12:35 PM · School · Comments (3)
fact checker
If you happened to catch the feature story about me in today’s Shanghai Daily, please take a moment to read this. While I was flattered to be the interviewee and not the interviewer for once, I think it’s necessary for me to set the record straight on several things. If I don’t, people might assume I’m wandering Shanghai like a stereotypical Southern redneck — with missing teeth, overalls and a fishing pole … wondering, “Why ain’t all these dadgum Chinese hollerin’ back when I say, ‘Hey y’all’?”
03.03.2003, 12:29 PM · About Dan · Comments (5)