“Here’s to China” Johnnie Walker TV ad
When the director said “We need to see a Caucasian more prominently,” that was my ticket to stardom. Don’t blink near the end.
Filmed on a frigid December evening on the outdoor deck at Attica on the Bund.
03.13.2007, 9:04 PM · Television, Video · Comments (2)
Sorry, I think I forgot to set my alarm
Four months. That’s a hell of a long time for a site to go without a post. Good thing it’s only been three months and 28 days since I last updated this site. Whew. That was close. (And for those of you who have been checking this site periodically during the down time, yes I am still engaged and yes Ozzie is still really cute … and much bigger. I got several emails from people wondering if there was something wrong with their internet browsers — Dan, your site never seems to change. Mostly, though, they just wanted to know how Ozzie was doing.)
I don’t have a good excuse for the lack of recent activity on this space other than the truth: For a jobless man I’ve been exceptionally busy. Something had to get neglected. It ended up being this site. You can see the fruits of some of my labor over at Shanghaiist, which has grown dramatically since I last mentioned it here. We now get around 4,000 unique visitors a day, and numbers keep going up. An editor at one of Shanghai’s English-language magazines recently told me she considered Shanghaiist to be “a force” in the city. Although, to be fair, we were in a bar and it was loud — she could have easily said “a farce.”
Also, I have a pretty big feature on Shanghai coming out in the July/August issue of Budget Travel. That took up some time, not so much the writing part, but the research part. I had to recommend about 50 places/activities in around 2,500 words. The story is called “My Shanghai is Better than Yours” — their title, not mine — and I should be having a related “live” chat on MSNBC.com (Budget Travel is owned by Newsweek). I’ll keep you posted on the details.
Finally, I’ve been busy with another major project that I’m pretty excited about — unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to discuss it in detail right now. Give me a few weeks and I’ll tell you all about it.
In the meantime, why don’t you check out some of my photos that have piled up over the past quarter of a year. Here are some of my recent albums over at Flickr:
- Ozzie!: All Ozzie all the time. The cutest, coolest dog in the world (even if he has a weird foot fetish). He’s about 20 kg now — quite a change from little Puppy X. And now he’s wearing a lampshade around his neck — just got fixed this week, poor guy.
- A Shanghai Wedding: My friends Tony and Joyce got married in February at Shanghai’s grand (and unheated) St. Ignatius Cathedral. Tony is from Shanghai, Joyce is from Hong Kong, and they live in New York. This was my first wedding in China, and it was complete with scores of photographers (professional and non-professional), plenty of costume changes and lots and lots of bubbles. Congratulations, guys!
- Hawaii: My friend John once said, “You sure do seem to take a lot of vacations.” And I suppose it does seem that I travel more than the average unemployed guy. But it’s all a combination of smoke and mirrors and frequent flyer miles. And if my brother and his wife continue to have cute babies each year, I guess I’ll just keep having to go to Hawaii. Poor me.
- Lost Airplane: In Hawaii, we found the wreckage of the Oceanic Airlines (more info at Wikipedia) plane that was used on the TV show Lost (heard of it?). It is on the island of Oahu at Dillingham Airfield (more info here, here and here), which is near the beach house we stayed at in Mokuleia, on the northwest corner of the island — many of the beach scenes on the show are filmed there. If you are planning on hunting down the wreckage, it is pretty close to where you would go for a glider ride. More information about the history of the plane used in Lost can be found here.
- Moganshan: We went to Moganshan again this spring. Only difference this time it was a little colder … and I drove. More info on how you too can get a Chinese driver’s license at Shanghaiist.
- Shanghai Post Museum: I recently stumbled upon a nice new museum in one of Shanghai’s fantastic old buildings. Head to the park on the roof for some classic views. Read more about the place at Shanghaiist.
- Shanghaiist Happy Hours: Shanghaiist has started holding monthly Happy Hours at different locations thoughout the city. They’ve been a lot of fun, and are gaining in popularity. Back in April, we had 130 people show up. See some Happy Hour photos here, here and here. If you are in Shanghai, come to our yet-to-be-scheduled next Happy Hour!
There is more, actually. But it will have to wait. I am typing on a PC that likes to shut down without any notice. I have learned to “save” often. Why am I on a PC? Well, we bought it through Taobao after my iBook broke. Then, a few weeks later, Bliss’ iBook broke. I have managed to go through two iBooks in about a month. Goddam logic boards.
Bliss and I will be in Miami and Savannah — yes, another vacation — next month and I’ll be buying one of these.
That’s not the only new technology I’ll be using next month. Expect some major changes to this website. I know I’ve said that before … but it’s for real this time.
Enough about me — how have you guys been doing?
05.25.2006, 4:41 PM · Diary, Photos · Comments (3)
Chinese New Year in Shanghai is crazy (see for yourself)
Chinese New Year in Shanghai. I have to imagine there is nothing quite like it in the world. It is loud, chaotic, beautiful, violent, smokey, exhilarating, drunken, dangerous and red. It is 2:59 a.m. and I can still hear fireworks in the distance. They started before dark Saturday evening and built to a riotous climax at midnight. We’re talking fireworks — not firecrackers[1] — the big, light-up-the-sky kind. And they are set off in every neighborhood, from almost every street corner, and often right in the middle of the street. Again, again and again. The city glows. It ignites. It howls and cackles. It is warlike in a way. It is a spectacle that begs to be experienced.
But, I understand that is not possible for all of you. So, I’ll try to give you a taste. We watched the madness from a great location, the rooftop of a tall apartment high-rise downtown. I won’t say the exact location, because the way we accessed the roof was a little … um … sketchy. But it was worth it. Here are two video clips, one from the bottom of the building, and one from the top:
View from the ground, 11:59 p.m. (10.9 MB)
View from above ground, 12:06 a.m. (7.6 MB)
I took several photos, too. And some of them were actually almost in focus. Actually, a couple ended up looking pretty cool:
Chinese New Year in Shanghai album at Flickr
Brad has some truly spectacular fireworks photos, too. They start right here.
Okay, I need to get some sleep. I’ve sobered up now, and I have a feeling the war is going to resume outside my window in a few hours. Each morning starts with a bang for the better part of week. Gotta love Spring Festival — or else it will drive you crazy.
Happy Year of the Dog, everyone!
Direct link to the photo above right here. No one was hurt during filming.
[1] But, yes, there are plenty of firecrackers, too.
01.29.2006, 2:57 AM · Diary, Photos, Video · Comments (5)
Soon, you too can compete in the Masters Cup!
I scored some sweet Masters Cup tickets on Monday thanks to Shamus — who always has a VIP ticket for something — and the friendly people at Haworth office furniture. The brand new Qi Zhong Stadium is nice, really nice, a proper stadium. It has air conditioning, which immediately makes it better than most of the sports arenas in China. You have to wonder, though — why is it almost in Anhui Province? OK, it’s just a 100 kuai cab ride from city center, but weren’t there some vacant plots of land or bulldozable neighborhoods, say, 20 minutes from the city instead of 50? It’s a hike. And what are they going to do with a tennis stadium the other 51 weeks out of the year?
Anyway, the building is worth seeing even if the tennis no longer is. I managed to see Andre Agassi’s only match before he joined Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal and withdrew from the tournament. Really, the way he played, his exit from the tourney was only a matter of time. Nadal came out to court to apologize to the fans for not being able to compete due to a foot injury. He could of at least limped! So, now we are left with Roger Federer and these “masters”: Guillermo Coria, Nikolay Davydenko, Ivan Ljubicic, Gaston Gaudio, David Nalbandian, Mariano Puerta and Fernando Gonzalez. Half the field is from Argentina … not that there is anything wrong with that.
11.16.2005, 5:38 PM · Photos, Sports · Comments (3)
7,000 photos moved from Gallery to Flickr … easily
In preparation for the major redesign Frank has in store for Shanghai Diaries, we had to figure out a way to transfer all of the photos from our existing photo gallery to my space over at Flickr. Gallery is a fine app, but I just find Flickr much easier to use. And Flickr seems to be more adaptable, too — Frank’s already done some cool stuff with it over at Shanghaiist. We both like the community aspect of Flickr, as well.
Anyway, I figured the Gallery-to-Flickr switch would be a time-consuming nightmare. Actually, I expected I would have upload all my pre-Flickr photos — some 7,000 of them — from scratch using iPhoto. And I was dreading this, because many of the photos from early in my digital days are not very well, um, organized. Thankfully, Frank stumbled upon this page, where a guy offered up $200 to the first person who could solve the very same problem we were dealing with. Someone delivered, Frank installed the script, I started the transfer process before I went to bed one night … and next morning I had 7,598 photos in 69 photo sets (albums, tags and captions survive the transfer, as well) over at Flickr. For free. Pretty slick.
The one downside is that since these photos were tranferred from Gallery and not uploaded directly from iPhoto, they are small. For some reason, I only uploaded pics to Gallery at a 400 or 500 pixels max for height and width. Sorry.
If you’d like to check out my photos from the past three years, head to my Flickr page. Here are some direct links to some of my recent photo sets:
- China: Fujian (2005)
- Shanghai: My First Infomercial
- Shanghai: Asian Gaelic Games
- Shanghai: Shanghaiist.com Launch Party
- Shanghai: Sex Products Expo
- Shanghai: Mr. Window
- Shanghai
- Shanghai: People (2004- 2005)
- Shanghai: Scenes (2004- 2005)
There are about sixty other photo sets that I don’t feel like typing in links for. They include all the photos from my 18-province trip through China and plenty of photos from outside of China: Cambodia, Georgia, Hawaii, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and Wyoming. Check it all out here.
10.16.2005, 9:39 AM · Internet, Photos, Site News · Comments (1)
This National Day holiday I …
- … flew south to Fujian Province with Bliss — whose ancestors are from Fujian — and her friend Emily, who is visiting from Seattle. My photos from the four-day trip can be found at Flickr. (They can also be found in the Shanghai Diaries photo gallery — I spent a good chunk of yesterday making sure that section of the site was up to date — but, really, I suggest you view the photos on Flickr. Better. Easier. We should be making a total switch to Flickr with the coming redesign of the site.)
- … got a little bit wet thanks to Typhoon Longwang. But was happy to have avoided the flood of people that hit Shanghai. Ri-f*cking-diculous.
- … missed out on the hot springs at Xiamen’s Riyuegu Resort (thanks to the typhoon), but settled for a private room at The Retreat, where I got an hour-long massage, soaked in a hot tub treated with aromatherapy oils … and got my ears cleaned.
- … became an uncle, again.
- … rediscovered the fact that I actually do like Chinese food. Quite a bit.
- … got lost on Gulangyu Island … again.
- … repeatedly bombarded Andrea with questions about what to do/where to go/how to get there in Xiamen. Felt kind of bad, but she is the editor of What’s On Xiamen. Andrea always kindly obliged. I gave her a Shanghaiist t-shirt for her troubles — nothing says “thank you” like a little shameless self-promotion!
- … took a great day-trip into Fujian’s rural Nanjing Province to soak in a little Hakka culture. Was amazed at the size of their tu lou earthen roundhouses. (If you are traveling to Xiamen, I highly recommend a travel agent named Apple. She speaks English and can be emailed at lemon60606(@)hotmail.com.)
- … bought one of these hats for 5 kuai.
- … bought this painting from my friends at oceansbridge.com headquarters in Xiamen.
- … went to a masseuse/chiropractor in Xiamen recommended by Andrea. A burly man, he was unable to crack my back. Is this a good or bad sign?
- … was unable to fit a Blue Frog “Montana Burger” into my mouth.
- … met with a Singapore-based book editor about my book proposal … and received a couple more rejections from the US (news I’m sure Billy Baldwin is very happy to hear).
- … discovered a great new sandwich shop in Shanghai. Very cheap, and near my apartment, too. It’s called Nangka Cafe.
- … listened to Chad Van Gaalen’s great new album again and again and again.
- … confirmed that the pork ribs at Di Shui Dong are among my favorite dishes available at local restaurants.
- … likely gained a few pounds.
- … found out that there is a very good chance I will be playing the role of Santa Claus in an upcoming Chinese Pizza Hut commercial.
- … tried to convince friends and family that China’s new tightened control of the internet likely won’t affect me. Am I being naive?
- … started viewing season two of Lost and still can’t figure out why it won the Emmy for best drama … or why I can’t seem to stop watching it.
- … watched England qualify for the World Cup and realized that my illegal satellite hook-up is better than the one at the Big Bamboo.
- … spent one morning watching the Yankees lose, one watching them win and today woke up at 4 am to discover their game had been rained out.
- … wondered whether American celebrities will hold telethons for the victims of Pakistan’s awful earthquake, the same way they did for tsunamis and hurricanes this year.
10.09.2005, 4:53 PM · Bars, Culture, Diary, Food, Music, Observations, Photos, Sports, Television, Travel · Comments (2)
This post is not suitable for all audiences
You haven’t truly “done Shanghai” until you’ve watched a frail 80-something-year-old Chinese man lean on his cane and inspect the brown-skinned selection of CyberHUSTLERs — a “throbbing, vibrating Cyberskin vagina and anus” — at the China International Adult Toys and Reproductive Health Exhibition at the Shanghai International Exhibition Center in Hongqiao. Because it felt like something that had to be done, I headed to the Sex Expo on Sunday, the final day of its three-day run in Shanghai. The convention was starting to wind down, and some booths had already been vacated, but I still had enough time to peruse what I assume to be the usual assortment of rubber body parts, pills, lingerie, whips, chains and frightening inflatable females. And really, once you’ve seen one She Shell Mini Clit Climaxer, Vibrating Anal Probe or Cock Cage with a Tickler Top, you’ve seen them all.
As expected, there were plenty of amusing signs and packages, like the naughty candy maker promoting its “forever lickable forms, the peckers and the nipples” and the woman on the cover of a Vibrating Vagina box who pleads, “Intromit me!!!”
08.03.2005, 7:25 PM · Observations, Photos, Video
I knew I should have worn my Testaverde jersey
I was going to write something here about how I don’t get the whole Chinese hip-hop thing, how it’s a rather unoriginal way for Chinese youth to express their individuality, how it would be nice to see these kids clinging to something more Chinese, something that could grow in China organically, the way rap did in America in the 1970s. I was going to write all that — but then I realized to do so would be stupid and hypocritical. These kids have just as much right to their rap music — maybe more — as little white Danny Washburn did in lily-white Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in the 1980s. And I listened to rap music. Lots of it. I hooked up my stereo to a TV cable and was able to get Power 99-FM from Philadelphia. So I knew about all the new rap and R&B before even the guys at the record store on Main Street. It made me feel special. I liked being different. Eric B and Rakim were some cool motherf**kers, and because Follow The Leader occupied my Walkman, so was I. What’s more absurd: And honor student in rural Pennsylvania listening to gangsta rap or city kids in China flashing gang signs for photos?
The kids I saw last night at the Shanghai Hiphop II Party at Club Fusion had the style down, alright. In fact, it looked as though the event was cosponsored by Champs Sports and IcedOutGear.com. (Actually, it was cosponsored by ShanghaiNing.com and Sony-BMG, which helped release the Shanghai Rap CD that Friday’s partygoers got for free.) Where can you get cool retro NBA jerseys in huge sizes in Shanghai? Ask this guy. And if you’re a Christian in need of some bling, this guy might be able to point you in the right direction. And what of the music? Hard to say. I couldn’t understand any of the lyrics, save for the odd “baby girl,” “check it,” “murder” or “word up.” Actually, most people in China wouldn’t have been able to understand the lyrics. They were in Shanghainese, which is cool, because the dialect is at risk — fewer and fewer young Shanghainese are learning it. The beats, however, were universal — and, often, very tired and familiar. The only thing original about the music was the language. But give these guys some time. It’s early yet. And hey, Shanghainese rap is already less annoying than Vanilla Ice.
Links:
42 of my photots from Friday night on Flickr
All Flickr photos tagged “shanghaihiphop”
My videos from the show on YouTube (Direct links to the three clips: Bamboo Crew, Super Rap Crew, Super Rap Crew slows it down)
Shanghai Rap page on ShanghaiNing.com, with downloadable songs
Shanghai blogger Josh reviews Shanghainese rap songs
More at Shanghaiist.
07.30.2005, 9:01 PM · Audio, Music, Observations, Photos, Video · Comments (3)
Luxury cars, pro golfers and dirty underwear
The nice thing about covering a professional golf tournament sponsored by BMW is that there’s always a chance you might catch a ride home in a BMW. That happened to me three times during the Asian Open, which concluded Monday — a day late because of rain — at Tomson Golf Club in Pudong.
On Sunday, I shared a 7 Series Sedan with a caddie and two golfers who were competing in the tournament … and I had no idea who they were. I didn’t want to ask — I thought that would be insulting. It would also have been a little embarrassing. I mean, I was wearing a media badge — I was writing about the freaking tournament — so you would think I should be able to recognize the competitors. But I couldn’t. You’d be surprised how little golf you actually watch when covering a golf tournament.
A little internet digging told me that the professional athlete seated directly in front of me in the passenger seat was Richard Sterne. The professional athlete to my left — seated on the hump seat — was Wade Ormsby. “I’ll sit in the middle,” he offered. “I’m small.”
05.04.2005, 2:38 PM · Humor, Observations, Photos, Sports · Comments (1)
China’s top golfer demands more domestic support
Zhang: Playing for PRC an “ordeal”
Coverage of the BMW Asian Open, a professional golf tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. A version of this story appeared in the May 1, 2005 edition of the South China Morning Post (subscription only).
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — China’s top-ranked golfer Zhang Lian Wei criticized his government and Chinese companies Saturday, delivering an emotional post-round press conference that elicited applause from members of the Chinese media covering the BMW Asian Open at Tomson Golf Club.
Zhang, who turns 40 on Monday, said he has never received any state funding during his historic 11-year career. He added that he has zero domestic sponsors.
“It’s such an ordeal playing golf in China over the years,” Zhang said, his voice cracking at times. “It’s tough, it’s difficult and it’s lonely. I know golf is not an Olympic sport, but I think the sports authorities should at least have shown some kind of support, like air tickets or something, to show their appreciation of my contributions to Chinese golf.”
05.03.2005, 1:20 PM · Photos, Sports, Stories · Comments (2)
Els to fans: Put your phones on vibrate
Coverage of the BMW Asian Open, a professional golf tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. A version of this story appeared in the April 30, 2005 edition of the South China Morning Post (subscription only).
by DAN WASHBURN
SHANGHAI — There are, by the most recent count, some 330 million mobile phones in China, so it’s not too surprising that one of them happened to be five feet away from Ernie Els as he lined up a putt Friday during the second round of the BMW Asian Open at Tomson Golf Club in Shanghai.
Els was at hole No. 6 and, already at 13-under for the tournament, enjoying a rather commanding lead. He was putting from 10 feet for his third consecutive birdie, his fifth on the first six holes of the back nine.
And then that darn phone rang.
Els stopped his putt in mid-swing, turned around and smiled at the phone’s owner, a middle-aged Asian woman. Others weren’t so kind. Fans yelled at her in English and Mandarin. She managed to stop the ringing — and then the phone rang again.
“It happens a lot more over here,” said Els, the world No. 3. “It seems like everyone has a camera and everyone has a mobile phone that can also take pictures. Most of the time I take it in stride, but hopefully it doesn’t happen too often over the weekend, because it is a bit of a distraction. You want a bit of quiet over the ball.”
This post has absolutely nothing to do with Japan
It’s about soccer
Or footie, as the cool kids call it these days. Sunday evening, Cecil, Gavin, Marina and I headed over to Hongkou Stadium to watch some China Super League action. Shanghai Shenhua vs. Inter Shanghai, to be specific. This is called a derby. But it’s pronounced darby, I think. Now would be a good time to admit something: Living in Shanghai, I believe I have learned more British English than I have Chinese.
When I was around six years old, my mom bought me some new pajamas. The shirt had a picture of two guys playing soccer on it. And, since some 6-year-olds are stupid, it also had the word “SOCCER” printed in big bold letters. I threw a fit. Screaming. Crying. Why? Because I’m an American, Godammit! We hate soccer.
And then my family moved to England. The West Midlands. Sutton Coldfield. I attended the Penns Combined School — uniform required. Everything changed. I wore Adidas Sambas. I played Subuteo. I collected soccer sticker albums. I pulled for Aston Villa. I played soccer, excuse me, football — with a tennis ball, on blacktop — during recess. (I also played marbles, something called conkers … and got sent to the headmaster’s office because I somehow convinced a fellow second-grader to, inside our Ally McBeal-style co-ed bathroom, pull her knickers down. I still feel bad about that. Kind of.)
04.27.2005, 1:22 AM · Observations, Photos, Sports, Video · Comments (2)
Tens of thousands take to the streets of Shanghai
Huge crowd has fun hating on Japan
Click here for photos of today’s anti-Japan march in Shanghai.
[UPDATE: Video clips of the march are here, here and here.]
So, I ended up going to Shanghai’s anti-Japan march this morning anyway. Going against the advice of a Chinese friend who told me the protest would be “very dangerous.” Going against the advice of the American government which warned U.S. citizens that China’s blanket hatred of all things Japanese could mutate into acts of violence toward all things foreign. I picked up the protest near People’s Square at around 9:30 a.m. expecting to see lines of Shanghai police, worrying slightly that my camera could get confiscated, not necessarily because it is a Japanese-made Canon — although that thought did cross my mind — but because I figured Shanghai authorities, desperately worried about the image of China’s most international city, would be doing everything in their power to limit the event’s exposure to the outside world.
Well, nothing of the sort happened. There were no lines of police. There were some, of course. But the majority of police that I saw today were smiling and laughing and marching along with the protesters. No one said a thing about my camera — not one of the police officers atop their Yamaha motorcycles, definitely not the Chinese student who wanted me to answer a question into his Sony video camera.
04.16.2005, 3:50 PM · Observations, Photos, Politics, Video · Comments (100)
Your man in Yunnan
Everything you need to know or Everything I know or Everything I felt like typing
Mediocre things come to those who have no choice but to wait. I am talking about my most recent batch of photos from Xishuangbanna. Not that the month-and-a-half-old photos (all 117 of them) are bad — actually, I think some of them turned out pretty well — but the image quality of the versions I added to the photo gallery is a little subpar, in my opinion. The reason? I started to use this iPhoto plugin called iPhotoToGallery. It really does make the uploading process a lot easier, but the tradeoff is that your photos look like crap. Until they clean up the crap, I won’t be using it again. But I won’t be re-uploading anything, either — just don’t have time. Still, the photos should give you a good feel for ‘Banna, which, after two visits, is one of my favorite spots in China — because the place, not far from Burma and Laos, is like a vacation from China. A slice of Southeast Asia without having to go through an airport security check.
I don’t have time to the write the long, vivid travelog that a trip to Xishuangbanna warrants (my time is currently occupied by a longer, hopefully vivider[1] travelog), but I would like to leave you with a few brief Yunnan travel tips:
Tip one: Go to Yunnan. You will love it.
04.12.2005, 9:50 PM · Observations, Photos, Site News, Travel
“Golly gee, I really think your phone is neato!”
Hmmmm. Can you tell which one is me? (Click on the photo for a closer look.)
And no, this is not an April Fools joke. [UPDATE: And now I have proof — the television version of the ad (1.54MB QuickTime movie file). Can’t Photoshop that.]
Special thanks to Even at Workhouse Film for hooking me up with a copy of the ad. [UPDATE: And special thanks to Hung at Washabi for providing the video.]
[UPDATE II: I totally forgot to direct you to the photos from the shoot for this ad. They start at the bottom of the page … after the photos of me with amazingly big, bad hair.]
04.01.2005, 6:39 PM · Humor, Photos, Video · Comments (13)
Guest Diary: Eleven airplanes and one bottle of bai jiu
I’ve known Brian Dominguez since the late 1970s, when we both were very tiny people. Since then, I have grown to be a normal-sized human being, and Brian … well … let’s just say that my girlfriend Bliss — 5-foot-2 and petite — outweighs him. Despite his stature, I still consider Brian one of my best friends in the world.
Brian and his wife Jill — actually two inches shorter than Bliss — spent 14 days in China starting on February 20. I traveled with them … and we went all over the damn place. Starting and finishing in Shanghai, we hit Beijing, The Great Wall, Kunming, Lijiang and Xishuangbanna. Brian and Jill brought some amazing weather with them. They also brought an amazingly huge medicine bag. Jill is somewhat of a hypo … a hypo … Jill is very careful when it comes to health. (My favorite items from the medicine bag: two sterile syringes and two sets of “sterile” chopsticks. Yes, they brought chopsticks to China. They didn’t use the chopsticks — but I ended up using one of the syringes. Thanks to a poor choice of socks, I had to pop some nasty blisters after a two-day hike in ‘Banna.)
Anyway, the purpose of this post was to welcome you to read Brian’s journal from the trip. Brian’s mom has described his collection of entries as “voluminous.” I’d say that’s accurate. There are also plenty of photos on that page, several of which were “borrowed” from yours truly. If you’d like to comment on anything in Brian’s Guest Diary, you can do so as a comment to this post. Brian’s site is not a blog.
- Go here to read Brian’s journal.
- Links to my photos from Brian and Jill’s visit: Shanghai, Beijing, The Great Wall, Kunming and Lijiang/Baisha. (I have yet to upload the final installment, from Xinshuangbanna. I’ll do it soon. Promise.)
- You may remember Brian and Jill from their wedding last May.
- Brian is director of GeorgiaGO. Jill works for the Girl Scouts. (No, she has nothing to do with the cookies. I asked.)
03.24.2005, 7:45 PM · Guest Diaries, Photos · Comments (3)
I think I have found my bar … finally
If I had owned my own label, I would have signed the dude to a record deal on the spot. A Chinese guy who can handle indie rock and reggae? Not to mention the fact that he had more stage presence than there was stage. Not to mention the fact that he went toe-to-toe with the police in between sets. Not to mention the fact that he always appeared to be stoned or drunk — or both — until he opened his mouth to sing. This guy had rock star written all over him. And he was performing for a crowd of a few dozen in an unassuming watering hole tucked away on a lonesome residential Shanghai street, far away from where the city’s pretty people play on Saturday nights.
It was exactly where I wanted to be.
The bar is called Tang Hui Pub and it is located at 13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. On my city map, it’s about five inches northwest of Xujiahui. It was a 16 kuai cab ride from my apartment on Madang Lu. I first learned of Tang Hui from a Swedish journalist named Ola Wong who plays electric bass for the country band Shanghai Cowboys and used to play in a punk band back in Sweden. Then, after I posted my Top 25 Albums of 2004 a reader commented that I should DJ at Tang Hui. And then at brunch on Saturday with Cecil and Bliss at Zentral, Bliss stumbled upon an article about Tang Hui in one of Shanghai’s 107 English-language magazines. We decided to finally check the place out. (Cecil couldn’t go, having purchased an RMB 700 (!) ticket to attend the black-tie St. Patrick’s Day Ball at the Pudong Shangri-La. Tickets included dinner and “free” flow of Jameson and Guinness — but they also reportedly included river dancing and Bee Gees covers by one of Shanghai’s 107 Filipino bands.)
03.14.2005, 1:10 AM · Audio, Bars, Music, Observations, Video · Comments (8)
Great Wall hike leaves me at a loss for words
A little more than two weeks ago, I hiked a five-mile stretch of the Great Wall, from Jinshanling to Simatai, with my friends Brian and Jill. And boy, it sure was great. It was rather cold and had been snowing and, in fact, our trip had been canceled twice by the friendly people at the Beijing Downtown Backpackers Accomodation due to inclement weather conditions. But after I explained to them that Brian and Jill traveled all the way from a small southern town called Atlanta just to see the Great Wall — and I think at that moment cute little Jill mustered up a tear or two — they relented and agreed to take us on a private trip … for the same price we would have paid had we gone with a group. I thought that was great of them. We paid 155 yuan per person, which included one entry ticket and round-trip transportation for the journey, which was 2.5 hours each way. I thought it was a great deal.
We pretty much had the wall to ourselves, which was great. The sky was great, clear and a perfect blue, which meant visibility, too, was great — we could see snow-covered mountains for miles. Just great. The locals who live near the wall are great. They’re willing to walk the wall with you, and they’ll even offer to sell you things — books, postcards, T-shirts and the like — along the way. They ensured us that their prices were great. (Actually, given the slippery conditions on the wall that day, it really was great to have some people familiar with the route along for the hike — someone had to catch Jill when she fell. If she would have gotten injured, it wouldn’t have been great.)
So, here they are. My 41 photos from the Jinshanling to Simatai hike of the Great Wall. I think that they are … um … hmmmm, what word could I use to describe these photos? … uh … I think these photos are OK.
Also, Brian and Jill will likely be using one of these Great Wall photos — one of the ones featuring them — as their 2005 Christmas card. If you could help them make their choice by commenting on the photo you like best … um yeah, that would be great.
03.13.2005, 9:49 PM · Diary, Observations, Photos, Travel · Comments (1)
It’s the Great Pumpkin (head), Chairman Mao
The first batch of Beijing photos is in the Gallery.
I generally don’t go out of my way to see dead bodies. In fact, over the course of my life, I have tried to limit my encounters with corpses as much as possible. I don’t attend viewings. And if a funeral happens to be open casket, I try my best not to look. So, I haven’t seen many dead bodies in my life. In fact, I only distinctly remember two — and they were both spied, on separate occasions, through windows of Shanghai taxi cabs. Unlucky bicyclists. Heavy heaps on black streets, glowing red and blue from the lights of a nearby police car. Dead bodies. Or at least very, very sleepy ones.
Thus, I have a hard time explaining my eagerness to see a dead Chairman Mao. Perhaps the impulse is fueled by the same deep down demons that, each and every day, lure me to read the latest developments in the Michael Jackson case. (He licked the kid’s head!) Regardless, on my second day in Beijing last month, I made a B-line for Mao’s big mausoleum in the middle of Tiananmen Square. Brian, Jill and I checked our bags and cameras and froze in line with dozens of others, followers and freak-show enthusiasts alike. And let me tell you, it was worth the price of admission.
03.11.2005, 10:10 PM · Diary, Observations, Photos, Travel · Comments (2)
Traveling in China makes me sick
And, How do you do Shanghai in just two days?
I have a cold. Again. Pretty sure it’s the same one that joins me on all my travels through China. I’ve started saving him seats on buses and trains.
But I’m back in Shanghai now … for the forseeable future … finally. Since last July, I have spent a total of 60 days in Shanghai, the city that I’m supposed to call home. First there was The Trip. Then Hawaii. Then, and most recently, there was a manic two-week, seven airplane sprint through China with friends Brian and Jill, visiting from Atlanta.
I guess I’m still recovering from that one. But it was worth it. It was a rather spectacular two weeks, beginning with a snow-covered hike over a remote five-mile stretch of the Great Wall and ending with a dusty stroll through tiny villages and pineapple fields in sub-tropical Xishuangbanna. Brian and Jill saw more of China in two weeks than many China residents see in a year. Granted, it was the Cliff’s Notes version — but hey, Cliff’s Notes got me through college.
Over the next several days, I’ll take you on the trip via the comfort of your computer. No China germs. Just photos. I plan to upload a new batch every day until they’re all gone. I took more than 700 photos on the trip. Don’t worry — I’ll edit them down.
First, before things get really exciting, we start in Shanghai. A couple dozen pics that take you to the airport, my favorite old neighborhood and the usual places tourists go when they visit Shanghai and only have a day and a half: People’s Square, The Bund, Jin Mao Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower, Yu Yuan, Xiangyang Market … and a hell of a lot of shopping locales.
03.09.2005, 12:35 AM · Diary, Observations, Photos · Comments (3)
IBM’s moronic new ad about China
If you live in a America and you have watched any television in the last couple weeks, you have likely seen some of IBM’s “help desk” commercials, the company’s attempt to, as Reuters phrases it, “put a human face on the services it offers.” In IBM’s whitewashed parallel cyber-universe, friendly, soft-spoken people sit behind desks waiting to help real people solve their real-people problems. “We wanted to show that we’re not just talking about technology for technology’s sake … but things that affect not only business but the world and society at large,” said Deirdre Bigley, IBM’s vice president of worldwide advertising.
Unfortunately, one of the ads — produced by Ogilvy & Mather — shows IBM to have a rather myopic view of the world at large, especially China. This is a common problem in corporate America, blinded by the supposed gold in them thar Chinese hills. The 30-second spot does not bode well for IBM’s future in the “world’s fastest-growing economy.” Nope, the “Big Blue” just doesn’t get China at all, it seems. Interesting for a company whose computer business was just taken over by Lenovo — a Chinese company.
01.24.2005, 2:35 PM · Business, Television, Video · Comments (18)
THE YEAR’S BEST MUSICI’m dreaming of a white … New Year’s Eve?
Decades ago, I’ve been told, snow actually wasn’t that uncommon a sight in Shanghai. But years of pollution have the city’s climate out of whack, so now the white stuff is a rarity. But yesterday afternoon and evening it came — the most snow I’ve seen in two years here. It was four days too late — and, to be fair, was only what would be considered a dusting back home — but it is the closest I’ll coming to walking in a winter wonderland in a city whose winters are often bitterly cold and maddeningly gray.
I snapped some photos of the wintry scene last night as I walked to my gym. I saw a city unprepared for snow: unshoveled sidewalks, a kid playing in a pile of snow with slippers on his feet, and someone else, in short sleeves, making a snowman with his bare hands. According to Shanghai Daily, yesterday’s snowfall was the first time Shanghai’s downtown neighborhoods had been “blanketed with the white stuff” in six years. I guess it depends on what your definitions of blanketed and downtown are. I took this photo last January in Zhabei District. Regardless, there is still snow visible from my window today — it really brightens the city up — and for the first time, it feels like the holidays for me here in Shanghai.
And with the holidays in mind, I must go. I’m being told I need to shave and shower — now — before heading out for the night. Gotta look my best for all those drunken photos. Speaking of which, watch your step tonight if you’ll be boozing it up in Shanghai. I have yet to see a snow shovel in this city — and all that snow has turned to ice.
Happy New Year!
Click here for photos.
Also … Speaking of white stuff, I reprised my recurring role of “White Man No. 1” earlier this week in a television commercial for a new NEC mobile phone that gets TV reception. I took some photos of the shoot. Sadly, there are no photos of “White Man” — too busy “working” — but I’m working on getting some.
12.31.2004, 6:37 PM · Photos · Comments (4)
Photos: Take a walking tour through Old Shanghai
I went on a meandering, self-guided, six-hour walking tour of Shanghai yesterday, paying special attention to the city’s old Western and East-meets-West architecture (or what’s left of it). I somehow managed to take 161 photos during the trek. And I have posted 67 of them in the Photo Gallery for your perusal.
Click and you will see domed Russian churches, the old estate of a newspaper magnate, an art deco hotel, and loads of longtang neighborhoods, shikumen archways, mops, doors and windows.
07.08.2004, 6:54 PM · Photos · Comments (2)
Photos: Hangzhou, Jesuits and Jazz
Marco Polo called it paradise, but I haven’t had much luck with Hangzhou. Not Hangzhou’s fault, really. It’s the rain. I’ve been to Hangzhou twice and it has rained both times, paradise shrouded in gray. But much of what I have seen through the mist I have liked. And what I saw Saturday made me glad that Hangzhou will be the first stop on The Trip, when it finally starts in the middle of this month.
I met up with my former student Arthur on Saturday. I’ll be staying with his family while in Hangzhou during The Trip. I told him about the relationship between rain and my visits to his hometown. He paused, thoughfully, and then responded:
“Very much like Wimbledon, I think.”
07.05.2004, 11:53 PM · Photos · Comments (1)
Shanghai music scene gets mo’ better
It’s taken me a while, but I have finally found good live music in Shanghai. I’m going to have fun exploring the city’s resurgent jazz scene. It may not be indie-rock — my music of choice back in the States — but it still rocks, in its own way.
My girlfriend’s brother, A.J. Khaw, an accomplished jazz pianist living in Miami, is in town for a couple weeks. We didn’t have time to set up any gigs, and as it turns out we didn’t need to. One night earlier this week, we headed over to the Cotton Club and Club JZ — and A.J. ended up on stage in both places. Check out the photos.
I’ve also seen decent live shows at the House of Blues and Jazz, but the atmosphere there is a little too sterile for my taste. To properly enjoy jazz and blues, I believe, you need to be at a place where the smoke hangs in the air and your feet stick to the floor. And, ideally, sticking to your ribs would be some good Southern barbecue.
Not sure if the pulled-pork sandwich will ever make its way to Shanghai. But right now, the jazz music is enough for me.
07.02.2004, 7:15 PM · Music, Photos · Comments (2)
Tracking The Shark
i followed the group that included greg norman (otherwise known as “the great white shark”) and zhang lian wei, arguably china’s top pro golfer. last year, he became the first chinese golfer to win a european tour tournament.
most of these photos were taken on the sly, as photography by fans is strongly frowned upon. and imported security personnel communicating through earpieces, looking like members of the aryan nation or perhaps extras from sprockets, loomed and chastised those who dared to disobey their directives.
camera nazis notwithstanding, i must say that, after several years spent covering sports for newspapers, i’m having fun just being a sports fan again. it no longer feels like work.
anyway, enjoy the photos.
05.15.2004, 2:54 PM · Photos, Sports · Comments (1)
mmmmmmm. georgia.
and i’m tired.
so feast on these georgia photos until i wake up.
it could be a while.
goodnight.
05.11.2004, 12:33 AM · Georgia 2004, Photos · Comments (2)
‘we just got hitched!’
this new album features more than 125 photos from brian and jill’s wedding weekend in albany, georgia.
and these pics will do nothing to disprove the notions that americans love shooting guns, getting drunk and making babies.
i’m in jesup now. heading back to atlanta later this afternoon. then it’s off to gainesville mid-week.
(note: you can leave comments on photos if you feel the urge. just click on the photo you’d like to comment on and then click the “add comment” link below the photo.)
05.05.2004, 1:43 AM · Georgia 2004, Photos
what happens in moganshan, stays in moganshan
beer pong.
hiking.
dancing.
football.
flowers.
frogs.
moganshan.
flying high for amoi
check it out here: amoi.mpg (warning: this file is around 15mb in size. it could take a while to load.)
photos of the shoot: click here
another ad i was in: adHIGH.mov (6mb)
04.10.2004, 8:00 PM · Observations, Photos, Video
old building, cold beer
the first batch is of the mei long zhen restaurant on nanjing xi lu, a secluded and spectacular spot in one of the city’s busiest areas. the second batch of photos is of people drinking alcoholic beverages.
so, enjoy. but remember, beware THE CLAW!
04.10.2004, 7:57 PM · Photos
where the hell have i been?
in a cave? well, yes. but only part of the time.you know it’s been a long time when you start getting text messages from your students telling you to update your website. so here you go, bonny.
over the past several weeks, i chose to concentrate on money-making ventures — you know, freelance writing and standing next to cars — instead of this website.
03.11.2004, 1:06 AM · Guangxi, Movies, Observations, Photos, School, Sports · Comments (4)
new photos: flying and fireworks
and happy new year.
i owe you two of those, i believe. one for parts west. one for parts east. i’ve been incommunicado since way back in 2003 — no matter what calendar you go by. i am such a bad blogger.
but at least i carry a camera. and that’s what i’m here to tell you about today.
01.26.2004, 3:25 AM · Photos, Site News · Comments (1)
who needs mistletoe and eggnog?
click here for all the party photos.
i also attended a festivus party recently. although i forgot to take photos during the party, my camera got loose to capture some of the aftermath. and it wasn’t pretty. evidently, after the “airing of grievances” and the “feats of strength,” another festivus tradition is getting stupid drunk.
12.28.2003, 7:47 PM · Photos, School · Comments (3)
cambodia :: photos :: the faces of cambodia
for all of dan’s cambodia photos, click here.
photos!!!
johnson and dan traded clothes for halloween.
click here for photos of a chinese halloween party at an “american” sports … cafe? i don’t know. that’s what they call it. anyway, you’ll get to see one of shanghai’s scariest cab drivers — and that’s saying a lot.
other photos added recently:
* city scenes: including the long lost cricket fighting photos!
* campus life: i just can’t walk past those fish without taking a photo! johnson wears a shirt that says “latino” to my class!
enjoy!
(i’m going to go fix the exclamation mark button on my keyboard! seems to be sticking!)
11.06.2003, 12:49 AM · Photos · Comments (4)
finally
photo: shannon shue
(if you care, my camera is currently in the shop right now. this explains the dearth of new photos here recently.)
later this week, i will begin posting my xinjiang travelog. i plan to do this day-by-day, diary style. lots of stories to tell. xinjiang is — um, well — different.
11.03.2003, 12:51 AM · Photos, Xinjiang · Comments (1)
muslims, raisins and knives … oh my!
yes, i’m back from xinjiang. yes, it was a great trip. yes, i will write about it soon. yes, i will post photos soon, too.
but i’m suffering from a cold and a slow internet connection. i hope to have both problems remedied by mid-week.
until then, please enjoy this sampling of photos i culled from the hundreds i still need to sort all the way through.
oh, if you were wondering, the name “good cheap tent” only proved to be two-thirds correct.
10.14.2003, 12:29 AM · Photos, Xinjiang · Comments (2)
qualifications: being white, a certain whiteness, having white parents, etc.
UPDATE: click here to see photos from the shoot!
now you can finally say you know someone who was in a chinese bus commercial. i’m the, um, white guy. don’t blink, though. most of my brilliant moments were left on the editing room floor. click here to watch the the entire 60-second television ad. (you will need quicktime to views this .mov file.)
10.14.2003, 12:12 AM · Observations, Video · Comments (1)
u.s. tour complete!
the final installment of pennsylvania photos takes you in and around philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. and fittingly, it starts off with photos of my college friends — brothers, of sorts — getting really, really drunk. and then you’ll see all that historic crap … and chinatown, of course. click here
then we head to montana — big sky country — where the big sky was full of smoke and my longtime friend justin married laura, who, by the way, hails from mongolia. (they met at montana state university, where they both are getting doctorate degrees in subjects far too complicated for normal folk like me.) expect to see lots of drunk people — do you see a trend? — and horses and mountains and bison and elk. took a side trip to yellowstone and the grand tetons. click here
for all of my not china photos, click here.
09.14.2003, 11:35 AM · Photos, Summer Tour 2003 · Comments (1)
new york stories
“excuse me. could you please tell me how to get to chinatown from here,” i asked the young waiter at the italian restaurant.
“just walk that way,” he replied, pointing down a soho street. “um …”
he paused, and looked slightly troubled by what he was about to say.
” … keep going until you start to see lots of, um, chinese people. you’ll know when you are there.”
09.10.2003, 10:08 PM · Photos, Summer Tour 2003, Video
tooth pic
“we’d like to thank yao ming for loaning us his teeth for today’s demonstration.”
submit your caption! click the comments link below.
09.07.2003, 9:28 PM · Humor, Photos · Comments (1)
yeah, it’s got a hemi
click here for the first installment of pennsylvania photos, featuring, in order of appearance, hirefrank.com, audrey, a lady with a microphone, sam, ansley, a guy with bad jokes, big ass trucks, lots of people hanging out in, on, in front of and — more commonly — underneath big ass trucks, fat kids in an inflatable truck, fat kids in an inflatable pool, a fat guy who probably isn’t a professional, one very lucky chocolate-covered banana, a smelly baby and some crazy guys on big bad bulls.
07.24.2003, 2:03 AM · Photos, Summer Tour 2003
it’s real good
good friends. good food. kick-ass southern rock. big-ass tattoos. a newpaper-reading cow. and a statue of a confederate soldier who is really a rough rider from the spanish-american war.
what more could a person ask for from four days in georgia?
click here and you will see:
07.21.2003, 1:25 AM · Audio, Music, Photos, Summer Tour 2003 · Comments (2)
dc talk
but that’s not what i’m writing to tell you about. i’m writing to tell you to look at the 39 photos i uploaded from my recent visit to my nation’s capital. click here and you will see:
07.18.2003, 4:09 PM · Photos, Summer Tour 2003, Television
i’m still alive
click here to see the new photos.
07.17.2003, 6:29 AM · Photos, Summer Tour 2003
aloha … again!
06.19.2003, 6:35 PM · Photos, Summer Tour 2003
aloha!
06.17.2003, 5:54 AM · Photos, Summer Tour 2003 · Comments (1)
fountain power
This lady is going to keep her arm raised until you write a caption for this photo! Don’t make her suffer — click on the comments link below and let your creativity flow.
05.29.2003, 8:53 AM · Humor, Photos · Comments (9)
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."
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)
audiophiles: the sounds of shanghai … and beyond
| • A teenage girl plays the erhu, a traditional Chinese string instrument, on a street in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded February 7, 2003. | |
| • A blind man is a one-man-band on a street in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded February 7, 2003. | |
| • Two guys jamming with a banjo and an erhu in an open room off the main drag in Ningming, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded February 2, 2003. | |
| • A guy playing a leaf like a harmonica at the Huashan Hotel’s nightly performance of traditional singing and dancing. Recorded January 31, 2003 in Panlong in the Zuo Jiang Scenic Area in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. | |
| • The staff of the Huashan Hotel during its nightly performance of traditional singing and dancing. Recorded January 31, 2003 in Panlong in the Zuo Jiang Scenic Area in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. | |
| • The first female soloist during a Beijing Opera production in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded January 28, 2003 in Beibuwan Square. | |
| • The opening music for a Beijing Opera production in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded January 28, 2003 in Beibuwan Square. | |
| • A big guy holding flowers singing at an outdoor video karaoke booth in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded January 26, 2003. | |
| • A guy with a harmonica on the streets of Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded January 26, 2003. | |
| • The call of the final point of the Australian Open women’s final between Serena Williams and Venus Williams as heard on CCTV-5. Recorded January 25, 2003 in Room 512 of the Le Hu Guesthouse. | |
| • 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." Recorded January 21, 2003 on Hegnshan Lu. | |
| • Dan and his Chinese instructor Peter sing the Chinese children’s song "Zhao Peng You," or "Looking for a Friend." Recorded Jan. 1, 2003. | |
| • New music from Heather Shayne Blakeslee. Recorded in Room C319 at Shanghai University on Dec. 12, 2002. The song is called "I’m All Right." To learn more about Heather, visit www.heathershayneblakeslee.com. | |
| • The chants of Buddhist monks during a prayer service at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, China. Recorded Dec. 10, 2002. | |
| • The odd high-pitched call of "Georgie Bush," a Turkish guy who cooks lamb kebabs in front of AFanti Delicious Food Public Place Entertainment, a Xinjiang restaurant in Shanghai. Recorded in December 2002. I forget the day. | 1:43, 1 MB |