tamonline

Next part of the world tour: Korea!

2011-12-23T22:32:00.001-05:00

Here we go again! :) Off to spend a week in Korea with Jihye and her family.
I'm going to enjoy 7 or 9 days of NOT running around (at least not too much).
--
Sent from my mobile device

update: there will not be any photos.
why? Because it is FRICKIN cold here hahahahaha. Wow!!! I mean, fareeezzzzinngngngnngngngngng cold. Merry xmas/happy holidays! :)

Makes you appreciate Shanghai!! (Conclusion of Next Available Train Adventure)

2011-12-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

Shanghai makes sense. For the first time in four years, I can safely say: Shanghai makes sense! It's familiar, comfortable, and home-esque. Now after an amazing 6 day adventure and countless surprises I've returned with NEW EYES.

This little guy was very curious, ran up to me with no hesitation and wanted to play.
How about that for courage!

His friends, the chickens were less playful as they popped around the corner and walked right around me.

An unexpected homecoming

This unique monument set
Dean and I on the road to
a surprising homecoming!

The following is the amazing story of how a trip full of random turns down random streets, in random cities, chosen by random train rides turns into a homecoming for my friend.

In Ningbo with Dean, my good friend and fellow ABC, we walked around the city with no destination in mind, and no plan except to enjoy any site that we passed. There wasn't especially much to see in the city. NB felt very much like a Shanghai, a smaller but still cosmopolitan city full of brands, tall buildings of steel and glass. Yet, I was about to see Dean's connection to the city ran much deeper than I knew.

On the first morning of this aimless wandering, we were walking past Yuedao Park (Moon Island Park), when his eyes suddenly widened, and he excitedly ran across the street. I chased him down and asked him what was going on!

It turns out that he had been here before, 5 years ago, with his father (who is originally from NB) and his father's childhood house was on this very street that we stumbled upon. He did not tell me his roots were in NB, and we didn't plan to meet in that city until 30 minutes before leaving Wenzhou!! So how is it possible that we ended up in his father's house, from more than 70 years ago?

Dean on the phone with his father.

Dean's father's memory was great,
but we did end up in a strangers home by accident (sorry!)

This old lady suddenly appeared in the window as I was shooting her 1980's era boombox.

She was surprised by the strangers in her courtyard!

Dean got his father on the phone and with an remarkable memory was able to guide him from our location to the house, through the gates, up the stairs and to his bedroom as a child. You can imagine how strange the current local residents felt, when they saw two ABC's speaking excitedly in English, rushed into their house and walked around like they owned the place). His father's father apparently was forced to escape with his family to Hong Kong, during the war and abandoned the house and his home in the process.

Up the stairs, was his father's childhood bedroom

If a light bulb went off in Dean's head: here was the switch.

At this point, we were in the house for 5 minutes and he was still on the phone, talking in English to his father.
I had to explain to the current tenants what was going on and who we were.

Old school electrical engineering

Thankfully, the house wasn't destroyed in the war and is now part of a historical site. Despite it's status as a historical site, it was poorly preserved. Sadly, the roof was falling apart, the kitchen was destroyed, and the people there were using it as a storage facility for towels.

The building was not in good condition.

This cat was resting where the kitchen used to be.

But all was not lost: gossip and rumors about the house's residents pre-war survived the test of time. The current residents shared a surprising story about his grandfather and his family that shocked Dean and gave some insight on himself today, 70 years later!

Dean hearing gossip from more than 70 years ago.
(Also notice the towels and blankets that they store on the left).

What his grandfather's old home had become.

Back to the safety of Shanghai

Later in the day, we discovered another set of houses in Ningbo that were completely abandoned and nearly destroyed. It is interesting to see as a city and society, what we chose to save, what we chose to neglect, and what we chose to destroy (and what we chose to hide).

Fake old.

Authentically old.

They boarded up the doors of this abandoned neighborhood with bricks,
but for some reason these bricks had holes 10cms in diameter,
so you could sneak a peak into the forgotten past.

What stories would we hear if walls could talk...

This trip gave me new eyes to look at China, to look at Shanghai and to look at myself. I saw nuances of different cities. The old quaintness of Fuzhou, the colorful charm of Xiamen, the industrial weariness of Wenzhou, and the identity-crisis of Ningbo and the comfortable sense of Shanghai. These are all cities in the middle of explosive change, reconstruction. I can imagine they may all be experiencing varying degrees of identity crisis: are we just another one of Shanghai's little brothers? Are we a traditional Chinese village? A common thread that each city seemed to say, to shout: despite the ruins of our past, we have dreams of what we want to become.

What's cooking in China?

After so much discovery and so much alone time, it was good to have a travel partner. Maybe it was too comfortable because we decided to stay in Ningbo an extra day, had a long chat over a short coffee, and western dinner on the Old Bund. After going so far outside of your comfort zone, you eventually snap back and need to surround yourself with familiar and safe... (before hopefully venturing out again). It's a rubber band this adventure.

"Sitting in the train station, and the ticket says Shanghai,
but the heart says 'keep going'... Xiamen sounds good!"

12月22日11:32
weibo.com/tamonline

*Whenzhou (next available train update)

2011-12-20T08:09:00.001-05:00

That is not a typo... As in *when can I get out of Wenzhou!!!!

Quite literally, the moments I enjoyed most in my time here in WZ was 530pm, when I was standing on the train platform to leave, watching the sunset behind the mountains. It wasn't because I had a horrible time in WZ (I did). It was just beautiful.

This might not look like much to you, but it made WZ worth it for me.

Scenes like this is exactly why I came to China 4 years ago: sun shading the sky purple with several mountain ranges in the distance, each progressively farther away and faintly less visible, less colorful... and small houses and temples in the foreground. That's all I was looking for! I had time to take several snapshots, and then I happily and quickly boarded the train bound for Ningbo (the next big city north, along the coast).

Taxi drivers #1 reason for Do not return list
So as mentioned in the last post: I didn't have a good first impression about WZ. My impression didn't change after another few hours there. It's another city that is under heavy construction and there aren't many tourist spots; which is fine, but the thing that got me most angry and put the city on my 'Do not return' list was the rude taxi drivers.

Do they hang their underwear outside for the same reason they hang their meat outside? Heheh

This was a market inside a tunnel, under a mountain.

It's a small city and so I was able to walk from 9am until 3pm. But when I did have to take a taxi, I hated it. Taxis honk at you aggressively when you walk on the street to get your attention. They pick up extra passengers in the middle of your fare to make extra money; like the lady driver I had when I wanted to go to the train station. I asked her not to and she simply said, 'it doesn't affect you' and I said, 'yes, it does.' She ignored that, and picked up an extra side fare. Worse of all, it doesn't reduce your fare at all. I was fed up, tired and wanted to get out of there, so I didn't argue. But then I ended up at the wrong station and needed to take another taxi.

I did walk a lot, but google thought I also swam!
(While in WZ, I temporarily turned on Google Latitude, which tracks your positioning).

Resting in the park.

Falling apart (me, not the building).

Mahjong in the park.

This time it was actually worse! None of the taxi drivers wanted to go outside the city, and eventually when one did, I had to prenegotiate a fare. Being a foreigner, with limited Chinese and knowledge of the city, I'm sure I overpaid. He drove insanely thru traffic (I have video, but be warned: have a trash can nearby in case you get motion sickness from the video!) I'll upload when I get back into Shanghai.

While the city was grey, the large majority of young men wore black pants and black shirts.

Force a smile.

Now in Ningbo, waiting for my friend Dean, and it'll will be nice to have a travel partner. Interestingly, in the McDonald's waiting, I'm sitting next to a middle aged chinese lady who spoke very fondly of
the wenzhounese. She admired their entrepreneurial spirit, how they made empires despite little education (not graduating high school), and despite having little culture (she said literally that!).

So maybe I'll have to put WZ back onto the list of 'cities to revisit'... after I become a master taxi negotiator. Much to learn from them.

Another one of those big beautiful trees with the vines and horizontal growth,
providing shade for the old people socializing in the park.

Peace, love, ups and downs, is what adventure is all about!
Brian

--
Sent from my mobile device

Mini-Update from Wenzhou (day 3, a frustrating night and morning)

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

View from my hotel: warehouse.

The previous post was written on the train into Wenzhou, but without wifi, I couldn't upload until this morning. That worked out nicely, so now I can write my *first reaction: I don't like this place!! I want to go home!

If Fuzhou was mud brown and Xiamen is sky-blue, then Wenzhou is grey... a smoggy industrial grey. This city, known for business, looks more like it should be known for industry. On the taxi ride into town, we drove past a vast empty landscape broken up by the silhouettes of factories and employee dormitories. The taxi driver stopped twice to try to pick up two extra side fares (which surprised me) but I told him I would give him 10rmb extra if he went directly to the hotel!

Serving more than tea!
The hotel lobby was full of smoking, drunk, old men. The area around the hotel was surrounded by very local/chinese looking bars (think bright neon lights, and beggars on the sidewalk in front)! In fact, just as I was walking to get dinner last night, the cops pulled up to a "tea house," rushed inside, where loads of drunk middle aged men and young girls in mini skirts ran out! Haha, they must be serving more than tea...

I can just imagine the Wenzhounese husbands and wives saying:
"Honey, I'm just going to go shopping at Walmart... don't wait up for me."

So this is just my first reaction of Wenzhou; subject to change and hopefully will!

To add to my frustrations, I just realized my phone charger broke somehow. I'm out of batteries, and I'm out of internet credit! This is bad because my phone has been my lifeline on this trip, connecting
me to google maps, the travel agency, and my friends who have been advising me along the way. So feeling lost, things changed just as I turned a street corner, seeing an Armani, Gucci, LV, and a bunch of other luxury brands in a mall downtown. And nearby, I just found a swanky, modern Italian cafe to recharge, make a plan, and get away from the city that is showing signs of life, about to wake up.

This kept me connected: chocolate cookies, coffee, wifi and electric outlet!

Interestingly, the Simon and Garfunkel classic, "Home" is playing in the cafe. So things must be getting better.

Cheers,
Brian

Sent from my iPad.

Xiamen to Wenzhou (Next available train update)

2011-12-19T21:17:00.002-05:00

Something funny happened over day 2. My thinking went from "How am I going to get home?" to "Do I have to go home?" Haha, how strange. It was obvious and I can even pinpoint when my thinking changed: it was this morning, as I walked along Xiamen University's College Avenue (daxue lu) and past a large beige dormitory, right when when the sea revealed itself to me. The sound of small waves swooshing back and forth soon made it complete: I love this adventure!

Another cool, cooperative taxi driver!
These guys were so nice, slowing down to let me take a few shots.

The sun was so bright, the sky was so blue, and the air was so damn fresh!! These simple pleasures are experienced rarely in Shanghai, even after 4 years. Also compared to the brownish tint of Fuzhou, Xiamen was a busy, vibrant city.

The choice of bright colors chosen for the waves, really reflecting the style of the city.

BOOM: new city!
I could feel that immediately getting off the train last night as people pushed towards the exit gates. The cars zipped by, and taxis honked at us, fresh victims.. um, at least that was how it felt! It was all a bit unnerving. Because I was busy writing the last blog post on the train yesterday, I didn't book a hotel to retreat to.

Something about new cities overwhelm me. I walked into the relative quiet of a nearby Walmart (the first sign that this city was different: it had a WALMART!) and called elong, the Chinese partner of orbitz. They got me a hotel right next to the train station and rested mentally and physically before going back into the fray. My backpack, despite holding just the bare minimum of underwear, socks, and shirts, crushed my shoulder when I was walking around in Fuzhou. I was hurting and I was glad to walk around Xiamen freely.

Everything international, except the faces :)
As I searched for food in a nearby mall, I was greeted by western clothing brand after western clothing brand and unfortunately, none of it was edible. Eventually I took a taxi to their local pedestrian road (seems every city has one) and looked for food there. There, more Chinese brands were being sold and as well as some local snacks. I filled my belly with some forgettable mystery meat and rice.

Definitely not traditional Chinese architecture!

The one positive side effect eating a disgusting dinner was that I could see again! My focus moved to the architecture: it was beautifully unique. Each building on and around Zhongshan Pedestrian Street was different. The street level sold cheap little knick-knacks, and shop keepers shouted offers at the tourists. However, if one took a step back, you would see each building's unique personality. You could imagine many years ago when western traders came to dock at Xiamen, they brought along their aesthetics, and preferences. It was a beautiful treat and I look forward to sharing the photos (you can see some from my camera phone at weibo.com/tamonline)

Students reading in the sunshine of Xiamen University

Waited 45 minutes for a coffee in this beautiful little cafe
(the view was worth it alone)

I walked from Xiamen University to the wharf to take the ferry to Guangyu Island, and criss-crossed countless alleys before stumbling into this gem: an empty harbor without water (at low tide?) and full of old boats.

Morning day 3
Xiamen's other must-see location is Guangyu island, which I visited in the bright sun today. I happily pealed off my winter jacket from Shanghai, and enjoyed the sharp sun in my eyes. Guangyu Island feel
a little like Disney land, and in fact all of Xiamen felt a little like California: the sun, the palm trees, the warmth in the winter...

Self-timer set for 10 seconds... (or was it 2?) Smile!!

The island was clearly a tourist destination, but one that was still being developed, so like a Disneyland that was open and under re-construction. Guangyu is actually it's own little town and a market, schools, a concert hall and full of homes and restaurants. The streets reminded me of a small European village with windy narrow lanes, lined with brick walls and gates hiding old buildings (again, with European architecture). It was a beautiful maze with street names that repeated and looped back on itself, (it is an island after all).

Abandoned, western style villa on Guangyu island

Indulged on white chocolate and other snacks instead of lunch hehe

Fully functioning town with children playing in front of their apartment...

right next to tourist families and children being closely watched over by their caretakers!

Low before the highFunny how it works, but the most disappointing part of the day preceded the amazing highlight. I read a sign describing THE MUST VISIT spot on the MUST VISIT ISLAND of Xiamen, and falling prey for to marketing, I wanted to buy tickets to enter "Sunlight Rock." But angrily turned away, once I saw the price tag; 60rmb would be as much as my train ticket to this city!!

Wait, so the beach is free and you want me to pay to go up onto a big rock?

Gee, I wonder which one will I enjoy more?

Thankfully, upon leaving, I found the shore of the island and it was my favorite things: an actual real sand beach!! I even saw a sign saying there was beach volleyball courts, which I didn't find (something to save for next time). The sand was crisp, clean, and was the perfect surprise for someone who was freezing in Shanghai just two days ago. In fact, I packed heat packs, sweaters and gloves. That is exactly the point of this trip: to force myself to discover things that I couldn't even imagine. Beautiful, just beautiful.

I had to leave Xiamen soon after. I added to the rule, so I could eventually make it back to Shanghai: take the next available train NORTH. And this time it was to Xian, home of the terracotta soldiers!! Unfortunately that was probably going to be something like a 24 hr train ride... no thank you! So it was onto choice number 2, Wenzhou, which I passed on the way here two days ago. As far as I know, Wenzhou is known for lots of local entrepreneurs and business people... so I wonder what I will find there, what I will learn there, what I will see. If things go accordingly to plan, my friend, Dean, from Shanghai will join me in the fourth city (tbd). Everything is tbd, and I'm grateful for that.

Want to take my girlfriend back to beautiful Xiamen

Peace, beauty and the love of adventure!

Brian

Round trip ferry token: I will see you again, Xiamen!

Departing from Fuzhou (Next available train update)

2011-12-18T05:09:00.005-05:00

Going to the train station in Fuzhou, I was extremely nervous. Where would I end up?

I didn't want to take another 9 hour, mind-numbing train ride and arrive in a dark, unknown city again. So I hesitated before going into the station, I bought bread, water, and walked around for a few minutes. I did everything I could except go to the ticket counter. Sure, it IS exciting. But its more complicated than that. It is also stomach churning: the complete mystery of what's next!

The Mission I had to remind myself of why I took this journey, the purpose of the 'next available train adventure'... It's to push myself to do new things, to GROW. Thats exactly why I set the one rule, to FORCE myself to experience new things, to see things I wouldn't think of. So I took a breathe. And another. And got in line at the ticket counter. The short line moved quickly. There was no train schedule posted, and before I was ready, I spoke to the teller (TL).

Me: Where is the next available train going?
TL: Where are you going?
Me: It doesn't matter.
TL: What? Where do you want to go?
Me: Where is the next train going? I want to go there.
TL: Huh?? What are you talking about?
Me: eh... er... um...
Passerby: He doesn't care where. Just give him the next available train.
Me: Yes! Exactly!
TL: Then it's Xiamen.
Me: Great! What time?
TL: Leaves in 15 minutes.
Me: Perfect, one ticket to xiamen please :)
TL: (still confused) 81yuan...

Haha. I wish I could have filmed that. What a relief to finally know where I'm going. Go, go, goooo!!

About the first city: Fuzhou!! Fuzhou is a beautifully old city. Only having time to see it very superficially, I was lucky to have a genuinely nice taxi driver who pointed me in the direction of a few sites. I climbed a small peaceful mountain in the center of the city that overlooks a sprawling old temple. I walked along its pedestrian street (nanhou jie) and wandered its downtown for hours and hours on foot. I snuck into small alleyways.

After all a half day there, I can safely say it's in the middle of a reconstruction. The facades of Fuzhou's old mud buildings are falling off, exposing the natural brown mix of stones, sand and seashells underneath. There also seems to be more wood used than in the North (Shanghai and surrounding area). The untreated wood is rotting, warped and splintering. Everything in the city has a brown tint. Perhaps, it's from the wood and mud or from the dust of nearby construction. Its might just be the sun that shone brightly in between a few clouds and warmed up the air nicely. As I said, all the buildings are falling apart from neglect or being purposefully torn down. New buildings are on the way. So if you come in a few year's time, everything will be refreshed. Except the new buildings around Nanhou Jie are built to look old. Unfortunately they don't feel old, yet. Maybe they will when I come back, one day.

Unplanned route One of the routes I wanted to take was to go to along the Eastern coastline of China, visiting all the little cities that are connected by the train. Thankfully, the first 'next available train' was to Fuzhou, which fits that description nicely. I sincerely never thought the first day would take me so far away!

I had guessed that it was possible that the trip would end up here. Now, for the second city to be Xiamen, it's an interesting development that fits nicely with my wishes. In a few days though, I will have to add a second part to the rule, so I can get back to Shanghai by Friday to catch a Saturday flight to Seoul to spend the holidays with Jihye. AWESOME!

Now, Xiamen, here I come!............ Wait, I think the train is pulling into the station. Wow, that was much faster :)

Peace, love, and adventure!!
Brian
--
Sent from my mobile device

Photos from Fuzhou (updated on Dec 23rd):

All the windows I saw in Fuzhou had security gates (even on higher floors!)
I woke up and snapped this pic.

The super nice taxi driver said that FZ was known for those red lanterns, and
he even slowed down to let me get that pic!

A lady tried explaining what these old people were doing, but I couldn't understand her.
These papers looked like resumes of some sort.

In the middle of this peaceful park were two particularly interesting groups:
1) 3 young men practicing boxing (2 pictured above)
2) 3 young women practicing martial arts with swords

Just to throw one photo of me in there!

Nanhou Pedestrian Street in Fuzhou

Behind Nanhou Pedestrian Street

Tasty treats from the street!

Behind Nanhou Pedestrian Street (where the real Fuzhou still was)

The real people of Fuzhou

Forgot the exact name of this street but I think it was called "Fragrant Tree Street"
(it did indeed smell nice).

These trees were interesting - their roots are hang down off the branches.
I think its a tree and with a bunch of vines that live together (who says we can't all get along?)
We don't have them in Shanghai but I saw them from Xiamen to Wenzhou.

First stop: Fuzhou (next available train update)

2011-12-17T02:43:00.007-05:00

So after arriving at Shanghai's newest train station (Hongqiao huoche zhan) at 3:10, I looked at the big board, and saw the my first destination: Fuzhou, departing at 3:31pm.

3:20pm: Was the fear in my eyes too obvious?!

After some hesitation, I bought my ticket and boarded at Gate B15. What a RUSH!

All I know is that Fuzhou is a coastal city, well south of Shanghai, across from Taiwan. And their dialect is really strange to my ears! I'm looking forward to seeing the city. The train will stop in other cities along the way and will reach Fuzhou at 23... 11pm!! This'll be one of the longest train rides taken. I don't know what awaits me there... or where I'll be sleeping.

Peace, adventure, and love,
Brian

--
Sent from my mobile device

Hitting the road again! (Introduction to next available train)

2011-12-16T22:46:00.003-05:00

I am lucky; SO lucky. With more than a month of vacation starting today I'll be doing some extensive traveling of China, Korea, America and back to China. That's 6 almost weeks of travel, and each I'm very excited for but this first leg of the journey (China, more info below) will be the most different and the least structured of the time.

Where to go? Where to go? Where to go?

Freedom
What do you call weeks of free time, countless unknown cities, and desire to see something new? FREEDOM! I'm thankful to have so much free time, and so I'm in a unique position where there aren't too many other friends who have such free time to travel with me. Also, the choices were between Chengdu, Sichuan, Haerbin, and Guangxi... as possibile cities to fly to. I knew the same about each of these cities: nothing.

For a week, I was undecided, and nearly decided to stay comfortable and stay home, under blankets in my warm apartment.

So instead, for the next week I will travel China by train randomly visiting cities based on one rule: take the next available train. Why? To force me to see things, and to go to cities, that I would never even think about visiting. Summarized in one word, my definition of adventure.

So that's it. After a lunch meeting, I'm off the train station and will update this blog from my phone on the road.

Peace and love,
Brian

TamOnline extends

2011-11-12T04:05:00.000-05:00

As I've already wrote on gmail and facebook... I've extended "TamOnline" onto weibo (China's equivalent of twitter). So you can find short posts on nothing important at http://weibo.com/tamonline...

And by nothing important I mean:

a stupid picture of me or a picture of me being stupid
a translation of an inspiring quote
a photo of a gift package
my options for plane tickets back to new jersey in january
a picture of the alley way in my neighborhood

Haha. So there you go... in case you didn't want to go over to the weibo.

(Why not twitter? Well you can't use it so easily in China so weibo it is -and it lets me practice reading Chinese - which I do horribly. slow. )

Happy November 11th

+ Feeling Seoul Good!

2011-10-15T06:02:00.003-04:00

Door of Seoul: busy streets in Sadang
are filled business men and tired commuters traveling back home to the suburbs.

What is Seoul?
Having just spent 10 days there - I'm happily stunned. There are endless alleyways of small houses and shops, hundreds of street vendors come together like a maze, and great restaurants sandwiched by cute/unique cafes. It was PERFECT for exploration. My legs are tired from the hilly city, my caffeine buzz is finally starting to fade, and my credit card bill will shock me. Still Seoul was/is awesome.

Shopping SPREE! Endless streets of shopping begins at 12am in Dongdaemon
(Pictured here is MyongDong, for the few of us who want to go shopping a little bit earlier - 10pm)

While it's a complete mix of culture: pop vs traditional, Seoul feels much more like a modern western city with its familiar sights of well-dressed citizens, a strong cafe culture, good-ole fashioned and excessive commercialism. It would be a comfortable city to live in.

Me: Up to no good...
in BokChun, a beautiful neighborhood near the Korean Prime Minister's house

Arrival
Before leaving the airport, I was able to exchange some Korean money, rent a cell phone and get mistaken for a Korean! My luck continued as I was able to easily find the bus to take me to the hotel, but after getting off at my stop: I WAS LOST.

I was stuck in this maze for about 20 minutes.

This is a familiar feeling for me, so the panic didn't set in until much later. I wandered the area, trying to get my bearings, futilely looking at a map at the bus stop (written in Korean). The bus driver who was nearby smoking a cigarette, came over, and after 10 minutes of Charades and eventually helped me get a taxi who drove me to the AREA of the hotel.

There was my first experience in the maze that is Seoul. I walked into the maze, looking for the hotel, and not being able to make heads or tails of the street signs. This is when the panic started... as I moved deeper into the maze. Thankfully for all the density, I found a wifi signal and used my ipad to navigate closer to the hotel, which wasn't even that easy because even Google Maps is in Korean. I was exhausted, hungry and needed to pee... but I got there and unpacked and set my sights on filling my belly.

Bulgogi "taco" & beer = DELICIOUS

Food & Eating
To summarize: this was not easy. For dinner, I wanted authentic Korean food and maybe a beer, which in my head sounded simple enough. It was not. I went into one restaurant which didn't have any English menus (seems most did not), and another with pictures in the window. There was an old woman by the door (presumably the owner).

Handcut noodles in a seafood soup with Kimchi: $5USD

She saw how helpless I was and helped me choose a meal. I pointed at one of my favorites: tofu and kimchi with beef. She shook her head negatively and spoke some Korean. I tried another one, Korean

bbq beef/pork. Again she shook her head to say "no" and spoke some more Korean. This time she waved her hands around her belly like she was a pregnant lady.

Finally I heard some Korean words I understood, "mani mani" and "pebula." Which I think means, "very very" and "full." I laughed, and I realized the old Korean lady was trying to tell me it was too much food for me. Eventually, I finally found one that she allowed me to order and got a beer "MEKJU!" too! Still after the dinner, I was still very hungry.

Yummy Korean Fried Chicken at "the Frying Pan"

Cafe culture thrives in one of Seoul's many trendy districts

Everybody, it's Jihye time!
I spent a lot of time in cafes with Jihye, shopping and exploring the city, even to places she's never been to. Its quite futuristic. There are giant ipads-type machines in the subway allowing you to see outside the station, identify nearby restaurants/cafes, and even take a picture of yourself!

My guide, my everything:
the two of us in an empty subway station.

On our way to get crazy photo booth pictures.

Talking to flowers
They replied, "Why are you talking to me?"

There are so many cafes chains that I was there a week before I repeated and went to the same brand twice. There are plenty of other non-franchised brands too.

At these cafes Jihye and I chatted for hours and hours and hours. I also met a lot of her friends, her family, and her awesome little brother (who is bigger than me). They're all so friendly and welcoming. Its kind of funny because while I feel quite close to everyone that I met, I realize now, in hindsight, that our ability to communicate was so limited. I guess I'd better learn Korean.

Explorer Tam

One of the best trips I've ever taken.

10 days in Seoul gave me plenty of rest, time to dream of new ideas, and bond with Seoul. More pictures to come soon. I reconnected with my inner explorer that has been aching to get out the past couple years. I ate lots of good food. Overall, just a wonderful experience!

400th Post! Shanghai's changing (again!)

2011-08-29T11:20:00.003-04:00

Hey!! It's been a while since I last posted and as I went to check my blogger site, I've come to learn that this is my 400th post on this blog since I started in late 2005!

There's actually a lot of posts that ended up as drafts that I never got around to finishing, including the first one ever. Thankfully, blogger saves them anyway because I almost forgot this nugget of inspiration that I saved from Emily Haines (lead singer of Metric):

"It's all just the idea of 'don't freak out.' Anything that happens to you is just your life getting lived. Sometimes it feels like we're afraid of events and action of any kind. But if you can get a little distance from it, it becomes an incredible adventure no matter how things turn out."

Plenty has changed over the couse of this blog but this idea "don't freak out!" still inspires me nearly 6 years later. It still puts a smile on my face. Thank you Emily Haines.

Hope all is well out on the East coast (of the US) where Hurricane Irene just hit. Love you mom, dad, and Sarah. Stay dry?

Finally, quick last thought about how much China has changed. On the subway home from work today, I spotted a young man (Chinese) wearing a black t-shirt that read:

"I don't care about sex with my girlfriend,
I get f***ed by the government everyday.
和谐"

By the way, his shirt spelled out the f*** word, and the entire sentence was written in English. Then the bottom part in Chinese says 'he xie" which translates to 'harmonized' or more bluntly to have what you said on the internet censored/deleted (by the government authorities).

It's an amazing example of how the attitudes of younger generations are changing: specifically how bold they have become to the new realities of the internet age. He freely walked around the subway station, without anyone hassling him... or even as much as a turned head. I wonder if they will get jaded and or apathetic to how common place censorship has become. Everyone is very clearly aware it happens, but I'm still surprised to see how he openly advertise his resistance to it.

A friend of mine explained that on Weibo (China's twitter equivalent) there was a race to forward friends message before the censors could delete it, as they often did nearly instantly. So in the few seconds gap between what they saw, and what they saw disappear - they were able to spread messages about what happened to the train crash in Wenzhou in late July this year. Despite being clearly linked to the government, Weibo was still an amazing tool for spreading information at that time. I'd say that this race against censorship was a more popular and palatable way of resisting amongst regular internet users.

Anyway, this short post has gotten much longer and deeper than I originally planned. Not bad for the 400th though, if I may say so myself!

Have a great day!

Still waiting the results of the 48HFP (2 minute video link)

2011-06-07T11:50:00.004-04:00

Hey, it has indeed been one week since the screening (actually 9 days*) and I have no news from them yet about the awards.

The nice thing about being a part of this year's contest in Shanghai is that there were only 9 teams and we did a good enough job to be noticed. In this video from ICS, you'll see a clip which includes our film (TWICE!)... and some comments from the judges (that may be indirectly be about us!) http://www.smgbb.cn/ics_en/2011-05-31/756810.html (2 minute video)

I'll admit the guy who says he "liked the comedy" is a friend of the teams... and I'm not terribly optimistic about receiving an official award. Still I learned a lot during those 48 hours, had an amazingly fun experience at the screening, and am enjoying the aftermath now!

*Last week a friend said: "I can't believe you did that in 48 hours"

I replied: "Actually it was 49 hours."

a 3rd friend commented: "only you would say that"... hahaha

but c'mon it's so obvious... 6:30 Friday to 7:30 Sunday... that's a great example of why analysts shouldn't make movies. Or should they??

Will keep you posted on the awards!

Update from work

2011-06-06T23:11:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update from work:

our June Newsletter... http://www.revtc.com/newsletter/newsletter201106.html

'it aMUSEs me" my short film made for the 48hour film project

2011-05-29T20:49:00.008-04:00

The premier of my short film was last night... and first and foremost is thank you to Jihye... who held my cold hand as my nerves soared to an all time high right before the screening.

Haha it was a BLAST, so much fun, this entire project... and last night was no different: being able to show the film in front of my 40 friends, probably 250 strangers, and three professional movie directors (the judges, including Michael Ouyang, Sarah Zhang, and Emmanuel Benbihy).

How cool is it being able to show your movie/your work in front of people like this? I'm just really thankful to everyone for the whole experience.

There are also prizes and awards, which would be nice, but honestly I know there were better films and MORE IMPORTANTLY I already received my prize: the experience with my friends making it and this screening last night.

So here... finally... is my first ever short film: (I wasn't allowed to upload before the screening)

My favorite moment:

Seeing all my friends there - both comforted me and made me 40x more nervous... I couldn't even remember some names of those I had invited (oops, sorry!)... before the screening, I wasn't sure if the movie was any good or funny.

I only knew I had fun and I liked it. But showing it in front of 300 people is a different story. So my favorite moment of the entire night was: LAUGHTER! I think mine was the 5th film showed and it broke through and connected with the audience. THEY GOT IT!

Second favorite moment:

At the end there was a Q&A session where the judges/audience could ask questions... Most were general to all 9 team leaders in front of 300 guests... but my favorite was when judge/director Michael Ouyang points me out specifically to ask "How did Hong Kong films from the early 1970s influence you/your film?" WHAT?! haha so then there's me shaking in my boots, completely nervous and don't know how to answer 'cept for this:

"Oh yeah, tooootaally... (audience laughs! I relax a little and continue)... Yeah, I don't know. We did everything kind of haphazardly. I mean my parents are from Hong Kong? Kenneth is from Holland and Brian is from Korea, so its a mix and match of comedy styles... and I think that's how we got this mess (more laughter)..."

Here's his tweet about it: @mzmo Michael Ouyang

shanghai 48 hour film festival was a pleasant surprise. these things sometimes turn into bad amateur hour, but there were a few gold nuggets

Wonder if he's talking about mine! :)

WOW! What an experience. I wanna get back into it!

Quick post: The outtakes from my movie last weekend

2011-05-26T22:45:00.002-04:00

I love watching these outtakes as it captures the weekend so well. The movie is just the destination, the end-product, but the journey was what was memorable: a complete blast!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3cuD0Ms_fU

Do me a favor and watch til the end credits: because I am so truly thankful for everyone who helped out... in whatever way (no matter how small - it was very meaningful - or big): Thank yoU!

This Sunday will be the actual premier of It Amuses Me at the XinGuang Art Film Theatre on NingBo Road near People's Square. I'm so excited for this! Please come to support my team, my dream, and my movie!

Also you can watch the other great films from the other awesome competitors (10 total!).

WahoO!
B

Graduate of 48HFP: Shanghai

2011-05-22T12:03:00.002-04:00

"IT AMUSES ME" - That's the name of the movie, we created for Shanghai's 48HFP... or 48 hour film project. I'm writing this after an intensive 48 hour weekend of creative movie making! Beforehand, I was interviewed by CNNgo for an article about the project: http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/shanghais-48-hour-film-project-088376

I'm thoroughly satisfied and was massively challenged by this task. I was working throughout the entire weekend, 7pm Friday to 7pm Sunday... which included conceiving the story, writing the script, rehearsing, shooting, traveling to new locations, laughing a WHOLE lot, editing, (losing the edits at 3am on Sunday morning), re-editing, dubbing (in sound), and really didn't sleep much.

Before I continue any further, I have to thank a lot of people:

Jihye for being my muse and constant source of inspiration for me,
Robin and Jay for sharing all their movie-making experience and knowledge with me,
Brian for being such a willing actor and sincerely entertained me the entire 48 hours,
Kenneth - I've never had a crazier 48 hours with a stranger I just met at bar before (HA!)
Jeff for letting me use the office/equipment to shoot and more so, pushing to do things beyond my limits
Rob, David, Olivia - for your advice, support and jia-yous! 加油！
Celine of 48HFP - for bringing the contest to Shanghai (it was a taste of home that I missed, and couldn't find in any restaurant)
gehui the artist who let us use his studio, the taxi drivers who took us here and there
Mom, dad for the DNA that strives for achievement and creativity and challenge

I never understood why actors/celebs did this before, but I realized beyond a shadow of doubt: This movie couldn't have happened with out the help of the aforementioned loved ones.

I'll post the movie as soon as I can... (the contest rules prevent me from uploading to youtube yet). Thanks for reading as always. I need to shower and sleep now.

What an amazing 48 hours its been. I'm so thankful for everything.

Love,

[Update] coffee, and a great breakfast

2011-05-19T09:00:00.001-04:00

Eating glass...

2011-05-18T22:42:00.003-04:00

I ate glass as part of a confidence building exercise. It was... interesting.

And the original (on youtube) Don't worry mom, I won't do it again.

Brian's2HFP

2011-05-02T11:30:00.002-04:00

A short movie put together completely within 2.5 hours.

Here are the restrictions:

Genre: Film Noir
Character: Delivery guy
Prop: Flower
Line: "How did I get myself into this mess?"

How did I get myself into this mess.... indeed. This is in preparation for the full 48Hour Movie Project/contest which I'm competing in on May 21st weekend! (with my newly assembled team).

2010-12-12T03:38:00.001-05:00

quick update: I'm on the plane back to jersey! got an aisle seat with
two... Make that one open seat to my left! maybe i jinxed it!

Heh. Waiting to take off and stay awake for another 15 hours...

Love,
B!

--
Sent from my mobile device

part of my new job

2010-11-01T03:47:00.001-04:00

As part of my new job... I proudly present *REV's new PowerTip Series* http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjE5MTkzNjM2.html (click the thumbs up).

This is pretty cool - I had to learn a lot to put this video together:
1) how to shoot a movie with movie-set lights, a green screen and hardest of all a NIKON camera...
2) how to edit using software (ulead) I never used before
3) how to make flash videos (for all the words flying in and out of the movie)

It looks so easy, and yet... it took a few weeks to put together this short simple video. The best part is I get paid to do this, to learn, and I'm enjoying it too.

Anyway this is just the first of a series, so maybe you'll see me in a little video like this soon too...

Be good!
Brian

healthy dose of luck

2010-09-23T06:18:00.000-04:00

My business card now reads "marketing architect." That's the title I
chose at my new job.

All my new coworkers have interesting and funky job titles... like
Spark Plug, Internet Exploder (the IT guy) or Peak Performance Pilot
(the boss). So before settling on 'Architect', Jenna and I came up
with a few alternatives... marketing genius, marketing monkey (my
favorite), marketing guy among some others. Which all simply try to
convey that I'm responsible for all things related to marketing...
cool isn't?

Thankfully, Job Hunt 2010 was considerably shorter than Job Hunt 2009
and of course, the Great Hunt of 2005. It didn't always look that way,
with the flood of highly qualified and desperate expats coming from
America and Europe.

JH2010 started with a flurry of emails on job sites, which proved to
be completely useless. Does anyone read resumes and emails anymore?
Certainly not in China. Computer filters don't care how well-crafted
your cover letter is or how closely related your job experience is. HR
robots only look for perfect matches... and in this job market there
are 100 perfect matches for each job. And if you want to measure on
the Chinese population scale, it might be 1000 to 1.

So it involves playing the odds, going against the stream, and a
healthy dose of luck. You can't do it sitting behind a computer alone,
sending out resume after resume. Luckily for me, my wonderful
girlfriend was behind me motivating me to get out the door and meet
people. As it turns out, the first step in job hunting isn't job
hunting... it's meeting people and without an agenda.

My question at this point was how do you meet people in a city where
you only have 2 people to call a true friend. Plus you can't be
appear desperate and you can't reveal your ultimate purpose (yet). As
soon as you say you're looking for work, people look at you like you
did something wrong. No one understands when you say you've given up a
steady paycheck at a low stress and flexible job... (in this market??
are you crazy??) More do understand, when you say you want to move
forward in your career, grow a little bit.

Anyway, emails aren't all bad. It depends on who you are sending to. I
learned from JH2009 that only foreigners hire foreigners. So I sent a
few emails thru Shanghai's entrepreneurs directory, and actually got
some responses. But my goal wasn't a job, it was just to meet.

So I met a couple people and to each I made the same offer, "I'm not
looking for money but I want to stay busy. Do you need a hand? Is
there anyway you could use me?" Luckily one, said I could drop by the
office but I'd would have to see where I could contribute. Creating
value is easy for me. I know I can contribute.

Volunteering gave me an opportunity to show off. Before I even
finished my first project, the boss remarked my attitude was
different... different than the locals and even the other foreigners.
(I don't know how I was different... but these are intangibles that a
HR robot could never recognize.)

Soon after, he offered me a part time position handling the marketing.
After a week he made another offer; he wanted me there full time.

From business English trainer to unemployed to volunteer to part time
to full time... and in less than a month. Healthy dose of luck,
indeed!

----

This opportunity gives me a chance to move back into marketing, an
area I missed since I left Choice in 2007. And really, it gives me an
opportunity to cut my teeth, experimenting and learning new skills and
tools as I move forward towards my dream, to be a Marketing Swiss Army
Knife.

Happy moon cake holiday!

Sent from my iPad.

Its time to move? Pictures

2010-07-18T00:43:00.001-04:00

As the summer comes to a close... I'm ready to move on to the next part of my career, and most likely leave this city. But the funny thing is, after 3 years... Shanghai is finally starting to feel sorta like home.

1) Enjoying city life - okay, this I really like.
2) A guy super-overloading his bicycle
3) A toilet in the middle of the street with flowers growing outta it
4) What trademark infringement?? Please read carefully. It says "Dcloe & Gbabbana" Perfectly legal. My other favorite is a guy proudly wearing his "PAMU" jacket
5) The street-market by my house that springs to life at night, fake dvd's, Dcloe & Gbabbana and anything else you'd like... for just a few RMB
6) The old people learning western dances (waltz) and a bonus... the over-exposed babies with holes in the pants for street-pooping
7) The motorized-wheelchair gangs that hang out in the park - they'll run you over, no hesitation

Gary Vaynerchuk: Do what you love (no excuses!) | Video on TED.com

2010-05-20T01:22:00.000-04:00

Gary Vaynerchuk: Do what you love (no excuses!) | Video on TED.com

Hang Zhou

2010-04-10T11:47:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, we took a day trip to HangZhou, a nearby city. We left early in the morning and returned late in the evening catching the last train back. It gave us just enough time to walk around HangZhou's beautiful West Lake.

Upon arriving at HZ, we met a local old lady who offered to be our guide. She was very helpful, showed us the direction to the sites, boarded the same bus as us and sat down next to us. We asked her where we should go and she asked if we were interested in tea, a local specialty. We declined, and in a huff, she quickly left us to talk to another tourist. Turns out she was trying to sell us tea!!

Aside from that, this trip was much more beautiful. The weather couldn't have been better; it was the most seasonable day of the year so far and short sleeves was more than adequate. The flowers were about to bloom and the clouds were far away. The only negative was the thousands of people who also visited HZ that day. (It was a three day weekend because of a national holiday.)

It was a great day trip - leisurely wandering around the West Lake and stopping frequently for to take pictures, eat snacks and ice-cream. We slowly ate lunch on the rooftop terrace, rested our legs at Starbucks, and for dinner, we actually revisited the restaurant my parents and I went to more than two years ago.

The trip inspired us to take some more day-trips in the future.

**Also back in New Jersey - May 1st - May 22nd** Mark your calendars!

New pic: new hat

2010-03-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

Got a couple new hats... I don't know what this kind is called. Its something different tho.

The fish that destroyed my stomach.

2010-03-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

Fried fish in a sichuan hot pot...

HK: in black and white

2010-03-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

Having only seen HK for less than 2 weeks, and being guided by my wonderful aunts and uncles... I have seen a lot of good things about the city. Frankly, I am in love with Hong Kong.
Not to compare but it really succeeded in all the ways that Shanghai has disappointed. And even though I've been told over and over again that it was a great city by my friends and family, I was sure that it was over-hyped and none of the praises were really true.

But I was wrong:

awesome food with variety - check
nice laid back people (who speak English) - check
decent weather (granted it was Feb) - check
arts and culture, movie theatres, open internet, night light - all check!
beautiful sites, beaches, city skyline, architecture parks, etc - check, check, and check again!!!!!
year-round beach volleyball - possible!

Everything just seemed absolutely amazing.

Or so it seems. That's what I'm waiting for... some thing to be terribly wrong about Hong Kong. I'm afraid that there's some unknown thing that takes time to see and isn't pretty at all.
As a tourist, you can only see things superficially and cannot really trust what you see. That's why I like to travel for extended periods of time... to know the city, uncover the good and the bad.

I'm sure there's awful things waiting to be seen, but my eyes haven't adjusted yet. I can only see in black and white.

Hong Kong Food

2010-03-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

I've gained weight, both times I went to HK (I just came back to SH). The food is amazingly well prepared there and suits my taste quite well. So I must say thank you to my aunties and uncles who fed me extremely well and showed me gracious hospitality. I also should thank the countless street vendors who sold me little snacks a long the way (some pictured above).

On my 1st trip, I took one day to walk around by myself and discover HK as a tourist not led by locals. I had a mixture of food... including old favorites (beef fried noodles and soymilk) and also some food I've never tried (mystery bun and bubble waffle?). It was all so delicious.

There seemed to be a much greater variety in HK. I saw an endless number of Thai, Viet, French, Italian, American, Mexican etc. restaurants to try. And that was in addition to the best Cantonese food available.

Ah... after a terrible experience with some spicy fried fish in Shanghai last week, my stomach was very appreciative of this weekend's indulgence in HK.

Anyway, there will be at least one more trip back to this foodies paradise later this month (because of visa issues) so I better start jogging and exercising again!

Valentine's Day + Lunar New Year

2010-02-15T04:49:00.000-05:00

We celebrated an awesome Valentine's Day early this year as JH had to go back home to celebrate the Lunar New Year with her family.

Just want to wish everyone else a happy Lunar New Year and Vday if you're celebrating.

Continued peace, love and happiness for 2010,
Brian

Happy Spring Festival

2010-02-13T07:36:00.001-05:00

Me and my new glasses

People of HK (part 2): Dai Pai Dang alley

2010-02-11T23:11:00.000-05:00

These photos are from Hong Kong's Dai Pai Dang alley street.

Dai Pai Dangs are another part of HK's cultural history, and it something like street vendors for fast cheap food. Their numbers are slowly decreasing as they are being taken away and not replaced. The government reserved this small street for the Dai Pai Dang(s).

Also have a small note from my mother about the last people of HK post. "one correction on your 2d set pictures, the women in the first pic *are not hk people; rather, they are Filipino.* these are the nannies hired from the phillipines and the wages are very reasonable and they do everything from cooking, cleaning, babysitting etc. they always gather together on sunday in the central area to chat, to eat, to exchange info. this scene is somewhat a trademark of hk labor market."

So there you go. I couldn't have said it better myself. The foreign domestic workers are ubiquitous in HK and the funny thing I noticed was that they set up temporary rooms made of cardboard boxes. And not to demean them, but these cardboard rooms weren't that different than a child's playpen, where they played cards and chatted. It was just stunning to see so many thousands of foreign workers gathered in one place in the city.

HK: me

2010-02-10T02:54:00.000-05:00

Because of overwhelming modesty, I didn't take too many pictures of myself. I was afraid that my stunning beauty would crack the camera's lens... It's strange to me how my lovely face hasn't broken anyone else's cameras. Hm... perhaps I should reconsider my own attractiveness. Haha

But in all seriousness, I have no more than 10 pictures of myself in Hong Kong. Thankfully, I'll go back and there will be changes. By changes I mean, I'm going photoshop myself into the existing photos. Just kidding mom, since I have to go back to HK in a few weeks I'll take some new pictures.

So here are some shots of me around HK, with the following captions:
1. with my cousin who is from the states
2. with my auntie who took me up to Victoria Peak (it was breathtaking, more pictures to come soon)
3. with my new glasses (Alan Greenspan eat your heart out)
4. with my uncle who I haven't seen in 20 years. He took my cousin and I to Shek O beach, where there is genuine water, waves, and sand!

HK: People

2010-02-09T10:12:00.001-05:00

Four more shots. This time, they are photos of the HK people. Mostly quick and covert snap shots while walking around.

I haven't edited any more photos recently, but there's still tons to go through. With the upcoming week-long vacation, I plan to spend a lot of time editing, writing and experimenting in Photoshop.

I ate so much Mexican food tonight that I'm dizzy!

HK: From the street

2010-02-08T03:40:00.000-05:00

A trio of shots from the days of wandering around, and walking down unknown alleyways. There's something about visiting a place you've never been that allows you to see it better and motivate you to take pictures. I can't be bothered to shoot anything in Shanghai anymore, because it just seems so ordinary and everyday.

Yesterday, I spoke to a Shanghainese friend who had gone to HK a few times before for work. He said, "Oh I didn't like Hong Kong; people there walk too straight and fast."

That's precisely one of the smaller reasons why its hard to be a foreigner in SH... I walk straight and fast, and the locals here do not. They slowly make their way, weaving left and right and generally become an obstacle for us straight-walkers. Haha

5 more pictures (Scenery)

2010-02-07T00:19:00.001-05:00

Some pictures of things around Hong Kong

Chair legs and gloves
Lan Kwai Fong - one of the watering holes for the foreigners to go
Leaves by the temple at night
Building under construction
Shek O Beach - there are real beaches in Hong Kong!! (I already scoped out at least two potential spots for VOLLEYBALL!! and tournaments as well)

I've edited more than this, and I'll post more as the days come :)

Peace and love,
Brian

Hong Kong

2010-02-03T10:48:00.001-05:00

Its taking much longer than I expected to get through all these Hong Kong pictures, so I'm gunna upload them over the next couple days (weeks?) as I edit them.

Here's the first set!

How cool is Hong Kong? + Picture

2010-01-31T11:21:00.001-05:00

Hong Kong is a dangerous place... (see picture above)

Just kidding. I just got back from HK and it was awwwwwwwwwwesome. I can't wait to go back.

Planning a full update with pictures and stories. Check back soon.

Footless Sneakers in Shanghai

2010-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is not unusual, the sneakers in random odd places.
Perhaps, there are for barefoot ghosts who are running around the city.

Hm...

Getting movies in China

2010-01-10T09:33:00.001-05:00

I haven't written in a while and this has little to do with me directly, so I'm sorry I don't have any personal updates right now. But I discovered three movie-related things this weekend, which interested me. :)
1) tickets for Avatar were beign scaped for 5x the normal price
2) some working adults cannot afford even a regular priced ticket
3) access to IMDB, a movie review website, was blocked
And taking a broad view, it occurred to me that the access to movies in China accurately reflects Shanghai's modern society.

Avatar opened last week in China, and like in America, experienced great success. Unsurprisingly it was sold out across Shanghai. And not only was it sold out, but I learned from my Chinese friend that scalpers were reselling tickets for 500RMB, ~$73 (compared to the regular price of 100RMB, ~$15). Who had ever thought of movie-ticket scalpers?
In Shanghai, if you have the money, you can enjoy the latest and greatest.

Making conversation with a masseuse yesterday, I asked if she had seen Avatar. She said said no, and added that she had never even been to a movie theatre. It didn't occur to me before, but for her spending 100RMB and two hours of time is a definite luxury; considering that it costs just 25RMB (~$3.5) for an hour-long massage. After splitting that small chunk of change (even in China) with the massage parlor, she would have to work more than 5 hours just to be able to afford a ticket to a movie theatre (and forget about the snacks). We complain about the high ticket prices in America... but even as it hovers around $10, I think every working adult in America has at least had the movie theatre experience once in their life.
It seems going to the movies would be a real treat to many in Shanghai.

To be fair, its not about the access to new movies. DVD's can be regularly found for 10RMB ($1.5) but they vary in quality and even the best pirated DVD's cannot compare a movie theatre. Additionally, I know of at least two big Chinese Youtube-like websites that often have full-length foreign movies (with subtitles) for free. You would, of course, still need a computer and internet access, which isn't always a given in China.
Most Chinese people compromise and find some way to watch movies, inexpensively, in exchange for some loss in quality.

Lastly, the film review website, IMDB, has been blocked in China. So you can add that to a growing list of websites you can't access in China. The reason isn't clear but it could be because of the recent Chinese protest against a documentary about Tibet. They are protesting by withdrawing their two films from the film festival where the three movies were being screened. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/movies/09film.html?ref=movies Hopefully, this will come back online in the near future.
No website is safe from the Great Firewall.

Video: Non-Traditional Self Portrait

2009-12-19T22:08:00.001-05:00

Here are the results and failures of my experiment to create a Non-Traditional Self-Portrait. I used pepper as my medium, yes regular ground black pepper (and some ground white pepper).

Anyway, you can see the final self-portrait and the original that I was using.

The Second Attempt:
<embed src="http://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XMTM5NjgyNDMy/v.swf" quality="high" width="480" height="400" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> (http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTM5NjgyNDMy.html)

Using a straw, a spoon and a toothbrush, I carefully moved little flakes of pepper around the paper (no pencils). I'm satisfied with this one, but it doesn't quite look like me until the end. The first attempt actually looks better, but what can you do.

The First Attempt:
<embed src="http://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XMTM5NDM1NDg0/v.swf" quality="high" width="480" height="400" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> (http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTM5NDM1NDg0.html)

In the first attempt, I wasn't so careful, and thus it ended in disaster. The problem with using pepper is that, every time you touch the paper the flakes would shift and lines would become less clear. And if you tap the paper, you can forget about it... and that's exactly what happened at the end of this attempt.

The whole process is very temporary, and in fact the self-portrait is no more... I tried to preserve it by taping the pepper to the paper... but the tape scattered and smeared the picture. So why did I even try? Just for fun, I guess :)

My Ayi

2009-12-17T05:24:00.001-05:00

My ayi ("auntie" or housekeeper) is the best in the world. I've wrote about her and how hard she works for her family back home in Xi'An...and she deserves to be written about again.

A few months ago our kitchen sink exploded with sewage (don't ask why)... completely covering the kitchen in a thin layer of brown I-don't-want-to-say. Knowing our Chinese is not that great... she immediately complained to our building manager and demanded not only that they clean the mess, but also compensate us for rendering our plates useless (who wants to eat on pooped-plates?)

She also fought for my girlfriend when Jihye was caught between a landlord and two irresponsible tenants. With her help (and her representation), she was released from the agreement that would have had my girlfriend in a crumbling apartment in need of repair.

So it was a complete surprise to me when she told me that she was attacked by her new client, a Japanese foreign student. She was paid by the previous tenant (Korean student) to clean before the new guy moves in, 80RMB ~$11 for 4 hrs of work. She was about to leave when the new tenant blocked the door and yelled at her for not cleaning the bathroom properly. There was a yellow stain that wouldn't come out (despite her efforts). He demanded her to "finish the job" grabbed her by the wrist so hard, that its still swollen, scratched and black and blue 3 days later. She called 119 (the police) and eventually was able to leave. Thankfully, she will not clean for this new tenant.

Finally, after 3 years of service to my roommate, Ted, she was so sad to see him leave the country that she refused to accept his last payment today. She works 12 hours a day, everyday, and for less than $3/hr and STILL she wouldn't take our money. She told him "to spend it on something he likes." Can you believe that? That's beyond courtesy.

Watch your back in Shanghai

2009-12-15T02:51:00.001-05:00

It was raining today when a young college student, carrying an umbrella and walking her bicycle, was nearly pickpocketed by a group of Xinjiangnese before I shouted "hey... hey... hey!" (She was okay, oblivious to her near misfortune). Pickpockers are not uncommon in Shanghai, especially the ones from XinJiang, a region in the west of China and home to an ethnic minority called the Uyghurs.

After 5+ encounters with them, I'm starting to see their Modus Operandi. True professionals, they work in teams, and I've even seen them give silent hand signals to each other when they've spotted an opportunity. Interestingly, they don't trail behind a target, but instead walk in the opposite direction (perhaps to see if the target is paying attention). If they see something they like (ie an open pocket) they will quickly turn around, dive their hand deftly into the opening and snatch whatever the victim might have inside.

I've noticed them most on rainy days and my theory is because they use the cover of umbrellas and hats to shield their slights of hand even more. They are scary, if not for the rumor that they carry knives but simply because they are so cold to failure or interruption. They didn't even flinch when I shouted at the girl or another time, when a near-victim felt the thrust into her pocket and screamed... they just silently turned back around and kept walking.

As for the demographics of these criminals... they often operate in same-sexed teams, groups of 3 to 4 males or females; never a male-female duo. They also always seem young, in their early 20s, and I guess that this is their means for a living.

One last oddity that I haven't figured out is the baby they often have strapped to their chest. Why do they always carry a baby? I could speculate but I don't have any good theories yet.

If you see one, there will be others nearby. Be aware. As they pass you, speed up away from them, watch your back, and check your pockets.*

*I sincerely hate to generalize and I would not otherwise racially profile (they are not ethnically Han-Chinese) but I can't see a better defense. I was essentially ignorant to these people until Jihye's wallet was nearly stolen as I stood next to her. Strangely (and thankfully), after a half-dozen experiences, I have yet to see a successful attempt by them. Obviously, its the nature of their profession that they are best when they are not noticed.

Pictures (Thanksgiving + Birthday)

2009-11-30T20:32:00.000-05:00

Let's wrap up November with some pictures from a fantastically eventful weekend, which included my birthday at a great French restaurant with Jihye, a thanksgiving all you can eat buffet, a house warming party and a wedding!!

There's no particular order to the pictures but here you go:
1) French restaurant with Jihye - amazingly good food. Just scrumptious! I haven't had food like that since I was back in the States 2 years ago. Jihye has never tried French cuisine before so she was blown away by the the French onion soup, the Dover sole, and the Creme brulee that capped off the dinner.
2) (Former student) Zero and I at Jay's new apartment
3) Hilary, Jay, Francesco (from Italy) and Jihye at in the kitchen - No seriously that's how Francesco introduces himself... "Hi, I'm Francesco! From Italy!"
4) Just the boys this time - the only guys I call my friends (in Shanghai)
5) Jihye and I at the Thanksgiving buffet - her first time trying American-styled turkey too!
6) Back at the party - leaving Jay's apartment and cramped in an elevator

Some of these pictures are from my new camera phone (Nokia E63), which one of my private student gave to me! Really nice isn't? Unfortunately like all cameras-phones... the camera takes horrible pictures in low-light conditions. No pictures from the wedding but maybe a video soon if I can figure out how to upload one of those.

Welcome to December 2009. It's starting to get cold in Shanghai (40's) - stay warm!

Great Birthday! Happy thanksgiving.

2009-11-27T00:02:00.001-05:00

It was a great birthday! Thanks to everyone and their birthday wishes.

Hope everyone is full and had a good thanksgiving. If you're super-duper extremely full... then maybe consider my alternative next year: http://groups.google.com/group/daschallenge/web/Turkey-N-Gravy.jpg Its the future of thanksgiving!

Shanghai rain

2009-11-16T01:05:00.000-05:00

The weather is finally getting cooler in Shanghai. Curiously, it was still in the 80's just last weekend. But alas, summer in November didn't last and we're now on our way towards winter. (Currently, a Shanghai-esque cloudy sky with moderate rain, in the low 50's).

I don't remember the last time I posted. Before I came back to Shanghai I guess; it must have been. Since I've been back, I stopped my Chinese classes and started to look for real work again. I haven't found any yet... but along the way, I picked up 4 jobs in 4 weeks.

Literally, every week some new opportunity has crossed my path. That's classic Shanghai... when it rains, it pours. Thankfully, this is a happy rain and it is diverse too. With these new gigs, I'm now helping a former colleague bring his company to China, teaching English a few hours online, teaching at New Egg (online computer retailer), and teaching a couple of business men (at 7am...). The strangest is teaching online, where the traditional techniques I picked up over the past two years don't work quite as well. It's not as satisfying either, without the immediate feedback of the students' faces.

That's what I wanted when I came to Shanghai, to be at the center of things. Its nice to be back in business, helping my friend bring his company over. I've been itching to think strategically again. And of course, in the mean time, the demand for English teachers is seemingly insatiable. Who am I to turn down some work.

So starting today I'm waking up earlier and working later. One day I'll have a real job again. Right now, I'll just enjoy the flexibility that I have as I sit in an empty classroom and wait for my girlfriend to finish her class so we can catch some lunch.

(looks like this classroom is becoming an active one! time to move!)

Two great weeks in America, my home

2009-10-14T02:08:00.013-04:00

Wow, after two years in China... being back home in America is more refreshing than any beach vacation could be. Nearly everyday was an event, and these two weeks passed at a breakneck speed.

You don't realize what you've been missing but it hits you like a run-away train. I couldn't believe that men were wearing skinny jeans, and women were wearing leggings for pants. Music... what in the world is a lady-gaga? Culturally, I felt as foreign as Martian.

So the first thing I did after stepping off the plane (and dinner with the family) was watch the Yankees play at the new Yankee Stadium with my mother for her birthday. (Go Yankees!!)

I soon went down to Maryland to visit with my friends and catch up. But when I couldn't keep up with my friends' talking back and forth, bantering, I really knew I've been in China a long, long time. My English is worse for it.

We found an opportunity to play beach volleyball which made the trip complete.

It used to be, you would see friends occasionally and not much would have changed... but on this trip, seeing my friends was like seeing time fast-forward. Things appeared different... be it a few extra pounds or strands of grey hair. They were getting old!

Not to mention... we talked of jobs security and health insurance, and then the stability of our personal relationships and finally, the future. Where did all this come from? Once upon a time, nothing mattered.

Anyway the next week, I got a chance to see Jenn and her boyfriend Noah, who came to Shanghai earlier this year. (I didn't even know I had friends in Brooklyn until I came back). There I bowled the game of my life... complete with a turkey and a new personal high score! *Score!

October on the East coast means falling leaves and changing weather. So my family and I went on a road trip to check out the fall foliage. We drove north to Connecticut where some trees were just just just starting to turn to brilliant reds.

We stopped by a winery, Jonathan Edwards Winery to be exact. Mom and I got to sample some of their most recent selections. Not bad for my first glass in more than 6 months.

I also really really enjoyed eating American-styled food, which you don't realize is delicious until you eat bland rice and noodles everyday. I even savored this bowl of New England clam chowder.

Wish there were more pictures of great American food (and the variety of food you can only find in America), but most of the time I was too anxious and feasted upon it.

In just two weeks, I ate some crazy good Jamacian jerk chicken... unforgetable Mexican sausages and burritos... lots of good ol' fashioned American BBQ chicken, burgers, steaks... scrumptious Vietnamese pho noodles... Malaysian curry noodles (twice)... Japanese sushi... true Cantonese dim sum... and even some Shanghainese xiaolong bao!

OOoh OOoh, and the most impressive was avacado salad, with salmon so fresh you were begging for more... Try finding that in Shanghai!

But the best meal of all was... mom's cooking. I can't get enough of that, simple and memorable. There's nothing quite like it. My stomach growls at the thought of not having again til next spring.

(Here we are tonight, celebrating my father's birthday).

Being half-way around the world, you don't realize all the little things that are changing until you come back and all you see are big changes, older faces, new cars, new fashions.

In a way, you are stepping out of a time-machine, and as a lost time traveler, I indulged myself in all things Familiar... Friends, Family and Food. All I wanted was to feel comfortable; know some things didn't change and weren't foreign.

In a few hours I will step back into my time machine. Will I recognize the future?

Chinese Class: homework

2009-09-08T10:37:00.000-04:00

Today, I spent 4 hours doing Chinese homework and you should expect a masterpiece after such a long period of time... but instead all I've accomplished was these 4 sentences, which may or may not use the key vocab words (*) correctly:

我没有时间复习，其实*还需要做作业。
他学习了很长时间所以可以*轻易通过考试。
他因为怕妻子批评*而不敢抽烟了。
*凭着我的钱，我开了一个商店。

Haha (It's only funny b/c that's 4 hours of work!) As you may have guessed... I've just started a new class, instead of studying with my tutors, and it requires a completely different "learning" style.
The teacher only talks *at you, rather than talk *to you. I can talk now, and understand a lot more than I can express... but while I can understand the general direction of the class, there's also a lot of reading. The other students in the class can really read quickly. (Yes, I can read, but only slowly and brokenly).

Additionally, over the past 7-8 months of part-time studying, I never learned to write (just copy and recognize a few hundred (thousand?) characters. So aside from my Chinese name, I can't write a lick!

Which brings me to another point, I'm using my Chinese name (for the first time in China). Since I've been in China only one person ever used my Chinese name and that was the ayi (auntie/janitor) at my old school. She was really nice and I always tried to practice chatting with her but besides her, no one uses my Chinese name. So basically I don't even respond if someone calls out my Chinese name.

Teacher: "俊业。。。俊业。。。 (Jun ye... jun ye...)"

Me: (c'mon who is that!? they always respond so slowly!!)

... eyes slowly turn to me...

Me: (... oh ... wait ... that's ... me... what was the question?)

Its embarrassing when the you don't recognize your OWN NAME. That about sums up my Chinese class in a nutshell.

Actually, it reminds me very clearly of the first day of Junior French in high school... when we covered the names of countries... and I realized I was now outta my league. (I changed that class to accounting the next day). A little bit of foreshadowing???

... perhaps...

KunShan Beer Festival (Pictures)

2009-09-02T03:44:00.000-04:00

We had a blast at the KunShan Beer Festival this weekend, just a 20-minute train ride outside of Shanghai (20 RMB - one way tickets). It's not Octoberfest, but it was definitely a beer festival!

It was so much fun, and it's always good to get out of Shanghai. We visited every beer tent and had a few different types of beer. The food left something to be desired, but BBQ is always tasty enough. Here are the pictures!

So yes there was some beer tasting, BBQ-ing, and lots of dancing. Other than that, some Chinese friends gave us some German Schnaps, and Jay took part in a chugging contest. There was some Germans but mostly it was all Chinese people.

All in all, it was a stupendous time!!

Back in DC/NJ on Sept 30- Oct 14th

2009-08-27T23:18:00.001-04:00

Since Nike doesn't allow importing run-data into blogs, I took a screenshot for you (above). It's not interactive like their website, but what you can see is most of what I get. (I tagged a 4.83 mi run on 8/26/2009 at 9:42 PM)

Other than that I just finished two clients this week, and two more are on vacation next week... which means that I'm gunna have a really quiet next 7 days, complete with weekends and lots of rest. So I can finally do some sleeping, running, studying Chinese (after 2 weeks off) and filling out final reports for students, (wahoo). And of course, I'll spend some time with Jihye.

Oh, lastly I'm going to take a long 2-week vacation in October. So mark your calendars, from Sept 30 to Oct 14th I'll be back in DC/NJ!!!

Update

2009-08-22T07:13:00.000-04:00

I'm teaching a new client this week, one of Shanghai's bureau of consumer complaints. I'm teaching them how to be professional/polite in dealing with complaints in English from foreigners. It's a special intensive 7 day course, but it's fun. So if you ever want to complain about the awful products you buy in Shanghai you can file a complaint at this number "12 365" and tell them Brian sent you haha :)

Also, my second Nike+ assisted run: 4.58 km on 8/22/2009 at 5:27 PM.

Even though I've already printed 200 business cards, the ideas are still coming.

Bowling for Jihye

2009-08-17T10:42:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Jihye's return to Shanghai with some bowling and some good Korean BBQ. Here are the pictures from bowling (I was too busy eating to take pictures at dinner!)

That night's bowling high score belongs to yours truly... and it was a 144!!

Also, Jihye bought me a Nike+ to help track my running progress. (She's subtly telling me I'm outta shape) You can follow me as I run here: http://my.nike.com/BrianTam. Does anyone else have a Nike+???

Now after a relaxing 3-day weekend with Jihye... tomorrow begins a super-duper busy two weeks of work. 1/3 of my contracts (salary) ends in August so I'll be looking for more new work in September.

The survey says...

2009-08-10T10:17:00.000-04:00

What kind of teacher am I? Hm...

Last week, I taught a class about surveys and as part of the class, I asked the students to take a survey about me and the classes I've been teaching. It's interesting insight, especially in a job that gives you so little direct-concrete feedback. Here are the results, word for word (in blue italics).

Training Services Evaluation Anonymous Survey Results (10 students)

What is your goal in improving your English?

Talking
Be more confident when I use English to communicate
Communicate freely
Talk like a native speaker
Be useful to my work
Think in English
1) more confident when speaking English
2) to know the local/professional way of communication with foreigners

On a scale of 1-10, how much would disagree (1) or agree (10) with the following statements?

The lessons are practical and useful. 8.35
I feel more confident using English after this course. 8.35
The trainer was enthusiastic and professional. 9.4

What activities interest you the most? Votes (Can select more than one)

· New vocabulary	7	· Role plays	7
· Grammar checks	2	· Listenings	2
· Common phrases	3	· Discussions	5
· English Games	5	· Other:	Pronunciation Correction

Which class topics would you like to talk in future classes? Votes (Can select more than one)

· Creativity and ideas	3	· Business email writing	8
· Branding	0	· Problem solving	6
· Dealing with stress	2	· Other:	Arguing, Situational Leadership, Teamwork, Conversation skills

Would you recommend this trainer to your friends or associates?

Yes (2 responses)
Definitely
Maybe holding a party, inviting classmates and also friends (foreigners) share stories and fun. Do it Dutch way, no problem should be enjoyable.
Probably misunderstood this question… b/c I'm not sure what this answer is getting at
100% Yes
Maybe, but I think most of my friends will be a little afraid of "X"
I give Xs when they speak in Chinese… but it has mostly become a joke where I only partially-enforce this rule
If they want to improve English, I would like to
Friends, of course! Have already recommend(ed)
Maybe, hehe…

Overall these are good responses, but you gotta take it with a grain of salt. This was a survey of students voluntarily taking class on a Friday night so they're probably the ones that like me the most. Still I tried to let them give me a fair/honest assessment as I wasn't in the room/let them take it anonymously and told them to be honest.

English is in super high demand.
After finishing a contract with a client today, I immediately received two other offers, one for private tutoring and another for training at a school that my former student opened. More info to come soon.

Not exactly taxi cab confessions...

2009-08-08T07:26:00.001-04:00

Jihye is coming back for certain next Friday... Wahooooo!!!
Work interferes with volleyball again today, (maybe I'll play again in another 2 years)

In the typical 30 minute taxi ride, I'll usually converse a little with the driver for fun and practice some Chinese. Here are some recent conversations:

Monday's taxi driver (the poor driver)

They are all curious about the American economic situation: most drivers ask if I left America because the economy sucks!
Just 30 years ago, he was poor, worried about where they were going to get food
For this guy, back then, the only clothing color choices were white, black, or brown
Because of periods of great poverty and sudden growth, the mentality of people in their 70s is different than those in their 80s or 90s

Last night's taxi driver (a really cool young guy)

His driver ID# was 270000 something and has been driving for 3-4 years already
The stars you may see next to his/her ID# are the result of guanxi (relationships with the right people)... the guidebooks tell you it's the result of being a good driver and giving good customer service
Drivers work in flexible shifts (sometimes as long as 24 hours), sharing one car with a partner (assigned by the taxi company)
He was one of the few Chinese guys I've met who believe that 27 (his age) is too young to get married. He also said he frequently changes girlfriends... meeting new ones online, in the taxi, wherever!

Hope to have other interesting conversations soon!!

Found: Shanghai Volleyball

2009-08-04T11:08:00.001-04:00

I miss beach volleyball. I sincerely miss it so much I cry sometimes. I quasi-joke with my friend that about opening up an indoor sand volleyball court in one of Shanghai's old factories/warehouses. I could charge people a small fee to come experience the freedom of beach volleyball... (minus the warmth of the summer sun, curious gusts of wind and the electricity of a sudden summer thunderstorm ).

"If you build it, they will come." Though I'm sure there are plenty of people in Shanghai who miss beach volleyball as much as me... I wonder if there's enough of a market for my field of dreams. If you're in Shanghai, would you come?! (and more importantly, would you pay?!)

Anyway, I played volleyball (of the indoor kind) on Saturday. It was the first time in two years, and it... was... incredible!!

After being on a volleyball email-list since I've arrived in China, I finally decided to check it out with a rare Saturday day off. The international competition in Shanghai is limited to those who played in college and foreign professional leagues, which I can easily admit is far advanced beyond my skill level. They weren't as friendly or open as I'm used to (You couldn't help making new friends in College Park, DC or Baltimore by just joining pick up games). But maybe it was because I was intruding on an established clique/weekly ritual.

All those years developing muscle memory in DC paid off because I didn't really forget how to play. I guess it's because I've been playing in my head the entire time I've been away. While, I didn't forget how to play, I simply didn't know how to play like these guys knew how to play. Gotta get better!!

Hope I can find another game to satisfy my growing volleyball cravings.

Bt

Interview

2009-07-30T09:16:00.000-04:00

After last week's rejection, I snuck my way into an interview for another English teaching position. Surprisingly they didn't turn me away when I showed up at their office, and even more surprisingly they didn't make comment about me being an ABChinese. So given this chance, I totally wow-ed them with the demo class and my suit, (pink) tie. They were very satisfied, and I'm hopeful for future work.

I went on this interview because two contracts are about to expire in August so I'll need some additional clients to pick up the slack. With my customized classes, increasing experience, and my unique (read: not boring) teaching style, I asked for a 30% higher pay rate than I normally ask for. They were hesitant but we'll see how they want to negotiate this point.

I'm not in a hurry to get more work anyway... my girlfriend is coming back after 7+ months of studying abroad (in just 2 more weeks), so August should be an excellent month!

Happy July!

They like me. They like me not. They like me...

2009-07-24T16:04:00.000-04:00

The day of the "total solar eclipse" was an odd one. First of all, I woke up at 7, which perhaps is once per year. Secondly, the only thing we saw was the dark grey rain clouds over our heads as pure Shanghai rain dripped into our anticipating eyes. Lastly, two other incidents involving some loving locals.

After the eclipse didn't show up we played frisbee in the rain. One of my throws went wild and slid on the ground behind a Chinese (Cantonese) family as they were posing for pictures. The mother wasn't happy about this and started to yell at my white friend. Even after I explained that it was ME who threw it, she started yelling at him for not apologizing. She became increasingly irrate and decided it was time to tell him to return to his own country... and then... to return to his own planet. All this was in English, and actually she and her husband were comfortable enough to drop the F-bomb at us, in front of their two children.
Yay!! The Chinese LOVE white people.

The next event involved a phone call from a Chinese headhunter looking for an English teacher for her client, a company. And I'm pretty comfortable when someone calls me speaking Chinese to me, so I'll respond appropriately (in Chinese)...
HH: "Can I read Chinese characters"
Me: "Yes, some..."
HH: "Your name looks Chinese, where are you from?"
Me: "I'm an ABC, from New York..."
HH: "Hm... that's not going to work for my client; they're looking for something else."
Me: "Why not?"
HH: "They want someone... that looks like they're from a European country..."
Me: "..."

Yay!! The Chinese LOVE white people.

It's not the first time this happened, and I'm sure it won't be the last, but these two incidents highlight the amazing dichotomies that exist among the Chinese. I just can't figure it out. Perhaps the eclipse just bring out the weird in people. Yes, that must be it.

July 2009?

2009-07-21T11:23:00.001-04:00

In China, you could not access Facebook starting after the riots in northwestern China. You still cannot get to youtube. Gmail and other google services (this blog) were blocked for a few days earlier this year, and the nytimes occassionaly goes down too (probably for reporting on such news).

Living in China is like living in 1999... the internet seems to so basic that I'm surprised I haven't been using dial-up this entire time.

Yet, things are good here, historic even. Tomorrow, Shanghai will be in the path of a total solar eclipse (?), and from what I'm told it will be the only one in the next 100 years. Its a once in a life time, and we happen to be living in the path of this special event.

So I plan to join my friends in Century Park in PuDong, and dust off my neglected camera for a few shots. They say rain is in the forecast but one has to be hopeful for clear weather for such events. The only catch is that it's at 8 AM, which is super early for me.

In other news, I finally printed my business card and after seven months of weighing 25 different ideas, I am not satisfied. It was an impulsive design and an evem more impulsive purchase (of 200 cards!) I guess there was no way I could be satisfied after working on it so long. My design is mediocre, the printer's coloring is disgusting, and the paper stock is abysmal (it rips and bends like toilet paper). So it's back to the drawing board.

Gotta wake up early tomorrow for this eclipse.

My schedule in July

2009-06-27T23:20:00.000-04:00

Here's my schedule in July.

Oh really?!

2009-06-25T21:29:00.001-04:00

Wow, there goes google and gmail, which were both unable to be accessed on Thursday in China... but why?

Google's software makes it possible to analyze the frequency and source of search terms. In a check on Thursday, Google's Web site showed that no one had entered the phrase "abnormal relationship between son and mother" in Chinese for months until it suddenly became a popular phrase entered only in Beijing in the days before the show, making it more likely that it would pop up as a suggested search term.
The same CCTV show included an interview with a young man, identified as a college student, who expressed horror at pornography on the Internet. Chinese bloggers have since identified the man as an intern for CCTV.

As quoted in today's NYTIMES article: Beijing Adds Curbs on Access to the Internet (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/world/asia/26china.html)

I talked to some Chinese friends of mine, and their reaction? "Oh really? I don't use Google. I use Baidu, its great!" Nearly word for word from all the locals I asked. Baidu is China's homegrown search engine, and obviously much more popular with the local market.

However, the reactions from my American friends, "WHY!?!?!?! I can't live without Google!!!!"

So there's that. Without google, I can't check the only email address that I have, and I can't post msgs to this blog (also a google product).

Age-ism

2009-06-15T09:49:00.001-04:00

I'm going grey. I'm going to dye my hair, all light grey. In May, I turned the corner and am headed downhill towards my 26th birthday. But age isn't the same everywhere... if I were Shanghainese, I would already be counted as 26. Cooler still, if I were in Korea, I would even be considered an ancient, 27 years old. Its great being 26, except I look 15...

Forever a student. Having a late birthday always put me towards the younger end of the spectrum, but I still haven't gotten used to it. Thankfully, I've been lucky enough to be working more and more recently, but that means being introduced to new clients, teaching new students and meeting other business people all the time. Inevitably, every one of these new people will make a comment about how young I look, typically (95%) within the first minute of meeting me. Today, it was, "You look like a student." I'm happy to report that another student later said, "You look like an MBA student."

Whatever! Usually, I can joke and admit I look more like a high-schooler than a business teacher, but this is an every day occurence. Last month, after meeting one of my oldest friends, from high school, I realized my look hasn't changed in 9-10 years. I really still do look like I could be in high school. To compare, when I saw pictures of my college friends on Facebook, I really didn't recognize them. Its only been 3 years, but they looked like actual adults. They're white, and I guess, Asians just look younger, for longer.

What should I do? Teaching in a business environment where the youngest students are office workers, 5 years older than me, this is starting to be a problem. It seems, Chinese business people don't respect you unless you're old (or at least older). Up until this point, I've embraced it, and worked it into my teaching style, explaining that was the reason why I acted more energetic than they do. But business people don't usually see the benefit; I simply look inexperienced. So what to do?

The real problem is I'm going to look like I'm 15 until I'm 30.

Just another day, in Shanghaiville

2009-06-03T21:14:00.001-04:00

Actually, I know nothing about June 4th. All I know is that it's taboo; too (politically) sensitive to bring up and so in my time here I've never talked about it to anyone.

Also, everyone knows that you can't search about it on the internet here and additionally recently, youtube has been blocked (March), blogspot and other blog services have been blocked (last month), and now twitter and hotmail went down in China this last week. So its amazing to see that the nytimes website is still online despite writing a handful of very informative pieces about June 4th.

Since no one in China can access this blog now anyway, I thought those of you outside of China might be interested in these articles:

4 photographers discuss their historic "Tank Man" (most interesting)
A slideshow about the days leading up to June 4th from the former NYTIMES Beijing Bureau Chief (most informative)
The "Forgotten Revolution" - from a Chinese person who was actually there on June 4th

Nothing special is happening here for this anniversary, which is definitely what the gov't wants. Even if there was, I wouldn't know b/c I'm not tapped into that crowd here.

Just another day, in Shanghaiville,
Brian

Reminders

2009-06-01T07:07:00.001-04:00

Bicycles in China are a dime-a-dozen, so I was just confused when the nytimes gushed over over the latest trend in NYC, Dutch bicycles...with an "old-fashioned design: it comes with fenders, chain guard, generator and rack... ridden upright..."

In China everyone (and their mothers and grandmothers) has a bike like this... and moreover its authentic vintage from some twenty-odd years ago. So when there is a problem, they don't throw it away like we do in America!! Instead they get it fixed and replace parts by the guy on the corner. In fact every neighborhood seems to have a bike guy. He's usually very old, hands black from years of oil, dirt, and grime... face weathered from work and standing outside all day.

After seeing a billion bikes everyday and being nearly-ran over some billion times, I find these bike-guys more fascinating than the products they fix.

STILL... STILL... when my friend in Paris sent me, via facebook, this brilliant picture I couldn't help but "ooo" and "ahh" over it. Its certainly a blast from the past, circa summer 2006. You can't unlearn, but you can forget and be reminded.

Happy June,
Brian

Business Cards

2009-05-15T04:37:00.002-04:00

Since I've become a free-lance English teacher/Business trainer, I've decided I needed to have my own business cards... but its already been 6 months, and I'm still deciding over a decent design.

Can you help me?

I started kinda experimental... and very minimalistic...

So then I realized I'd need a phone number.

Then I thought, I should have as much information as possible...

And I have a Chinese name, why not accentuate it to "localize" my business card or "ming pian"　(名片). But as Jihye pointed out, it doesn't feel American, which is a key selling point for an English teacher, eh?

So I went back in another direction, with some color and centering things a bit. But it still felt boring!!

Here's where I am now. Highlight the name with some color. Keep things off-center to make it interesting, indent the title a little, and finish with the contact information in the right corner.

From Drop Box

A less colorful alternative for cost savings, and a little red-white and blue action for that American feel. (To see the other designs that I considered, click the drop box.)

Anymore changes?

Dad, you are the designer so do you think we're ready to go to the printer?

Mothers Day 2009

2009-05-09T03:34:00.004-04:00

As I sit in bed writing, my ayi (housekeeper) is on her hands and knees moping the floor. This, in addition to doing my laundry, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, and taking out the trash, is her job. She's not local Shanghainese.

She's from Xi-An, land of the terracotta soldiers, and as she just told me is 26+ hours away by train. She only has two chances to go home; when the foriegn students that she works for are taking breaks from their school and back in their home countries.

Why does she work so hard and for so little? I'm embarrassed to admit that I can earn more in one hour of teaching than the amount we pay her for one months' worth of work (she cleans for us, twice a week). She does this, because she is alone in Shanghai - her two children are back in her hometown.

The older one is a 17 year old boy, finishing his 1st year at high school and the other is 8. She tells me that the elder one is furiously studying in preparation for college - waking at 5 am, and sleeping at 1 am... studying diligently every hour in between. That's why she works so hard, and I imagine, conversely she is why he works so hard. (Also, its pretty unusual for families to have two children - there is a heavy tax/fee for the second child).

Being so far away, I really feel helpless, not able to be there for my family. With the internet and technology, I try to be as acessible as possible, but there's no concealing the fact that we're a (half) world apart. But while talking to her, I'm not sure the ayi feels the same way - she seems to fully understand this is ALL for her children.

I learned from the ayi's story today, the only way to recognize and fully appreciate your parents' hard work is to work just as hard yourself. Happy Mother's Day.

Lastly, I have to include: when we were talking about the absurdly high salary expectations of most foreigners, I had the audacity to explain that its tough for us, foriegners to live in another country. Geez, I wish I could take that back - she was on her hands and knees working while I was in bed surfing online.

Who still has everything to learn? Who is the teacher?

Things from home

2009-03-31T10:42:00.004-04:00

Its really good to be back and seeing my friends and getting back into a routine. Its wierd not to flinch when the taxi driver is going the speed of sound and zipping through traffic like a madman. I guess I'm used to Shanghai. I've even started to understand random words in Shanghai-nese. Most of it still sounds like "loka loka loka!" ;) but maybe one day.

Oh yeah check out all the great stuff I brought back from America... (my luggage weighed a cool 60 lbs... most of it was this):

The advil came in handy today... I played basketball for the first time in 6 months.

Its so good to read again, and write (in the moleskin notebook).

These are already half finished.

Miscellaneous snacks - mmm chocolate...

You wouldn't believe that American Q-tips are more comfortable!

And finally my proudest acquisition...

Nature's Valley Granola bars...two giant Sam's Club boxes with 60 bars each... Hopefully that'll last 3 months, about halfway until I go back (for more).

3 weeks sure go by quickly - a picture post

2009-03-26T04:40:00.008-04:00

Here it is - Three weeks in America - the picture book version. Thank you for giving me so many good memories in just 3 weeks. Now I remember all I was missing in America. There are about 50 pictures here so it might take a minute for it all to load.

Stepping off the plane and onto American soil...
I was going to kiss the ground, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to lift myself up after the 20 hour flight and 6 hour delay.

Thank you mom, dad and Uncle Eric (they picked me up at the airport)

My first meal back with my family: Cheesecake Factory. The portions seemed offensively grand compared to what I had gotten used to in China.

The weird thing was that I had reverse-travelers sickness, probably because I've been eating Chinese for SO long my body couldn't digest good ol' American food.

After a few days, I felt better and visited all my friends in Maryland!

Thanks for letting me crash at your apartment "R & D" Robin and Danielle!
On the 3 day trip, I was lucky enough to:

brainstorm new ideas with R & D,
see Quinn (finally met his girlfriend),
visit Lan (and his growing family),
hang out with Justin (honored to be one of the groomsman at his wedding next year),
have lunch with Allan and Susanna (see the beautiful additions they made to the farm),
chat like old times with Keshav.

That's just before going up to New York City for the afternoon to:

catch up with Kelly over a beer and nacho's
visit my grandpa (who is in his late 90's)!

Along the way I collected these great mini-polariods!!
(Thank you Nicky for the camera - it was a super-hit with everyone back home).

Then down to Atlantic City to celebrate my father's successful year at Honda!

Congratulations dad - you really can do anything!

Got to spend some good quality time with my parents.

Ji-Hye came the next day all the way from Vancouver!

We went to New York...

but it didn't matter where we went...

because we had a brilliant time together!

Thank you Ji-Hye for taking me to MOMA!
I hope you liked Chinatown's Cantonese food.

Over delicious dim-sum she met some family & friends

Where she got good reviews from everyone!

We also went shopping - I got new sneakers - she bought socks.

Even evenings at home were a great time
(in front of my parents' new plasma high-def. tv...)

On her last night in NJ, we went to get STEAK and there's nothing like good American steak!!

We flew down to Orlando for a fun family vacation!
(The same day I took JH to the airport... I was tired).

Nothing like breakfast & unlimited coffee at Perkins to wake you up!!!!

Our red rental car! Apparently if your batteries die and you try to start the car, it locks your key in the ignition and you have to call for help, how handy...

But before the batteries died, we went to Universal Studios

My parents wanted to show everyone we were tourists (look at those bright colors!!)

I was a kid again...

I even threw a fit (like a child), "NO MORE PICTURES MOM!!"

The hulk roller coaster is, well, incredible.

This car also wouldn't start...

What, oh you're having fun?

The next day, we decided to go with a dark look.

But we still had fun!

Sometimes a bit too much

OH and there was a live taping of a professional wrestling!!

I really got into it.

We really should thank that guy in the background wearing green for putting some color into the picture.

We got to make some new friends before we went home.

Three weeks passed by quickly, and I still didn't get to see all my friends.
But it was unbelievably fun...

And super super comfortable...
My favorite thing to do while home was just hanging out on the couch with my family
(watching baseball on high-def. tv)

Thank you for 3 great weeks home.

I'm already saving up to go home again over September holiday.

3 weeks in America are finished

2009-03-23T05:46:00.004-04:00

So my vacation is over and I must make my way back to Shanghai to work, study, and live. The thing I missed the most being away from home was the sheer comfort and ease... of everything. In DC, I had worked out a splendid system of living, surrounded by great friends and happy routines (beach volleyball circuit). In Jersey, I am thankful to have my supportive family and familiar friends both there for me.

A lot has changed and its almost like I missed a year of great progress. Visiting "old" friends I could see the things that could've been and what might have changed for me if I decided to stay state-side. This includes stupid things like new cars and giant plasma tvs, and great things like relationships, marriage, babies, vacations, and all sorts of growing up. Coming back and catching up is like looking at a flip-book with a few missing pages: you can sorta connect the dots, but its not as entertaining or fulfilling.

One strange thing is catching up on American culture. Reading the news only gives you an academic sense of what's changing and what's cool now. What better,as an indicator of culture than clothes and fashion and according to my shoe-saleswoman "sharp neon colors are in because we need something to brighten the times." She seems to be exactly right, how perceptive of her! (She recommends these sweeeeeeeet new Onitsuka Tigers 60th anniversary edition)

Still, walking around Jersey and Orlando, New York City and Washington DC gives you a feeling that people aren't as depressed as the news and economy suggests. People are spending money and living their lives.

The only thing I read in the news that reflects this was one comment: if 1/10 people are unemployed, there's still everyone else ninety-something percent. After watching all this in front of me the past couple weeks and little personal/emotional connection to the news I feel more like an foreign observer in my own country... nothing is exactly familiar.

Whatever, in coming back to America for vacation, I know this is my undeniably home. Its incomparably comfortable and there's a draw that's calling me back but not now, not yet.

(Marge is getting handsy...)

Its nearly 6 am in Chicago's O'Hare International. I've stayed awake all night talking on line (thank you wifi) and people watching... The airport has started to awaken. First with the floor cleaners, then the overnighter transfers (me) finally checking in and now the early bird travelers being dropped of.

I need to get rid of this baggage so I can move freely!

No more movie trailers please.

2009-03-06T15:00:00.002-05:00

So Hulu.com is the best thing ever. Why can't we have it abroad?

Just caught up with all the movie trailers for the next year and I wanna make sure I get this right... this year there'll be Street Fighter, Fast and Furious (again) DragonBall, GI Joe, and Wolverine? That is just ridiculous.

But my favorite has to be Chocolate; the story about "an autistic girl who is gifted at martial arts"... what? Its made by the same people who did Ong Bak... yay Thai film industry.

(Was supposed to go down to MD/DC today but got delayed by my awesome stomach virus, thank you hulu for making my day productive.)

Two more...

2009-03-05T12:17:00.002-05:00

You may not believe me, but...

American Q-Tips are so comfortable! - its like sticking a cloud-covered silk pillow into your ears...
Also, the internet is soooo fast here.

I might not go back... the Q-tips did it for me! haha

Back from Shanghai

2009-03-03T16:07:00.004-05:00

I'm back home - sorta. After a long 24+ hour, delay-filled, snowy, sleepless and hungover journey back to New Jersey, I feel a little disoriented. Am I really home?

These are the things that I've noticed were different or was confused/surprised by since my 16 months in Shanghai:

Chicago O'Hare... passed through Customs and I'm a regular American again!! No more, "ni hao...what? oh, you're not Chinese?"
Delay + layover: Burrito's are too delicious - should be outlawed
Burrito lady wasn't too friendly (were people always like this? or am I just extra giddy to be back)
Waiting to board... coffee is good, but I just fell asleep standing up (24 hours without sleep is catching up to me)
It disgusts me that the 40 year old next to me has cooler clothes and haircut than me (and that I care)... are yuppies getting older or are the older getting more trendy?
Am I dreaming or are they giving the plane a shower?
Landed in LaGWAAAdia New Yawk Inta-national (joisey accent coming back)
Parents surprise me at gate with bright flashing lights (its a camera)
They love to ask questions... but its good practice b/c I'm sure I'll answer them repeatedily over the next three weeks
Its really really really cold.
Home sweet home... a good shower = fresh hot water + pressure (missing in my Shanghai apt.)
Internet is sooo fast and why don't we have HULU.com in China?? catching up on today's 24
Day 1 This tastes better in America... Canadian bacon
3 slices of pizza is only 8 bucks (I can only finish 1 slice)
the people at department of motor vehicles are really friendly, but they don't do bureaucracy so well, they should visit China to understand how a proper government organization operates.
I can drive again - nice! but I might have PCSD (post China stress syndrome) I keep thinking some crazy taxi, bicycle, moped or pedestrian is going to step in front of me
The new 5 dollar bill is red?
Do people actually use facebook to communicate?
Making plans with my old friends - who do I still know?
Facebook is too slow and rather useless

Seems that this reverse culture shock is endless... and jet lag catching up... write more later

The New Land of Opportunity

2009-02-26T03:37:00.006-05:00

I'm going back to America in just a few days, and as the calendar inches closer to the take-off day (March 2nd), it's also getting fuller with interviews and other curious chances to explore. This week was filled with three days of interviews and possibly another one tomorrow. Opportunities seem to be both abundant and fleeting in Shanghai.

So I'm extremely appreciative for these meetings and hope they eventually pan out (and please if that could happen before my plane takes off, the better). I'm reminded of what a friend told me before I left Washington... whenever we're about to leave a place, there's always a strange coincidence of happenings that beckon you to stay longer to see if it'll work out.

The only thing is that, this time, my plane ticket includes a return flight so its certain I'll be back in Shanghai, chasing down these fleeting opportunities. Which includes be everything from making short movies for children, teaching Business English (to new clients), or even doing marketing research in an international pharmaceutical company.

Regardless, the opportunity I'm happiest about is returning home for 3 short weeks.

Update: Finding a way to make things work, by yourself: Smoothing the Way to Self-Employment (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/jobs/22mgmt.html

I miss the days of "Frozen Budget"

2009-02-19T15:11:00.002-05:00

While not exactly a rejection email, this wasn't exactly promising:

Hello Brian,
Also your friend told me that you're a Chinese American. Lots of Chinese people
judge by one's appearance. So maybe we'll have to wait for the most
appropriate opportunity.

-----

Haha. Oh well, its one of the truths about teaching English in China, I guess. And its not the first time I wasn't chosen for work b/c of my background and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Green Green Grass of Home

2009-02-16T03:45:00.007-05:00

2009 is almost over. At least it feels that way. We're already 2 months into the "new" year? And I can add the next month, b/c I'll be going back to America for a while. So by the time I come back, it'll be April and the earth would have already made a quarter of the way around the sun. Geez, how does time fly that fast?

Still in this economy, time couldn't move faster. I can see why its called a "depression". After all the most common depressions in people usually occur after a significant and shocking event, ie job loss, loss of loved one (or both)... This shock is coupled with the view that future won't be any better than it is now. Well, the economy lost and is losing value (Japan is the worlds 2nd largest economy and lost something like 10+% last year I read in the news today) and who can see the end in sight?

That's how I felt in early January, after I left last job, my gf left to study abroad, and I just recieved a series of job-rejection letters (all citing budget freezes)... it felt dark, and I had no real sense of how I was going to make it out the other side. As my friend, Justin put it, "did someone run over your puppy too"? (A: No)
But thankfully, as quickly as it things went south, it turned around. No more than a week later, an interview finally panned out (and I started to work), I moved to a new, brighter apartment, and kept myself busy with Chinese lessons and friends.

So how can you predict the future? Depression is just the perception that everything is negative, there aren't any opportunities, and nothing will change. But its cleary not true; things are always changing, and opportunities present themselves when you look and work towards it. The worst thing to do during a depression is nothing. Plus, it helps when you have some extra eyes looking for opportunities with you... my network of friends here have helped me find some work and I'm continuing to look for more, just in case.

Maybe the brightest spot in my future is that for the first time in nearly a year and half, I'll go home to America... to people that I know and can communicate freely with, eat food without question (except peanut butter?), travel with my family and see my girlfriend again. For three weeks in March, I hope to not feel any depression, mine or the economys'.

Random thought: The *space bar* is my favorite key on the keyboard - it the biggest, its blank, and it doesn't actually write anything. I think it appeals to my minimalistic ideals. Finally, it'd also make a really good name of a club...

A: "I really wanna go out tonight! Where should we go?"

B: " . . . The SPACE BAR!! "

2009-02-13T04:49:00.003-05:00

Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down: The number one emailed article on nytimes.com...
While reading, I couldn't help but compare the similarities between Dubai and Shanghai... Its about how Dubai, once seen as the great economic engine (and therefore hope) in the Middle East, has been revealed as a great victim of the financial crisis.

The economic boom of the past 7 years fueled an incredible explosion of construction and decadence (PuDong, anyone). However the extravagance was all a mirage, hiding the truth - there wasn't actually any true wealth or need for all those hundreds foreigner workers.

Now I imagine, if it could happen there, it could happen in Shanghai... forcing laid-off foreigners to return to their home-countries by the thousands. Ah, what a nightmare that could be.

Welcome to the Niu Year (+ Video from Jay)

2009-02-07T20:56:00.003-05:00

Its my second time round, but its still weird doing New Years twice a year. The winter celebrations don't end until after the Chinese New Year. This, of course, is the beginning of the lunar calendar and the biggest holiday of the year for most Chinese (and some other Asian cultures).

I spent it at a friend's high rise apartment in PuDong (New/West Shanghai), watching thousands of fireworks going off in horizon. The city exploded for hours on Chinese New Year Eve, as people practiced the tradition of lighting fireworks to "scare away spirits." Some fireworks don't do anything but make a big flash and bang. Others are really beautiful, and its amazing to me that people can buy these on the street corner.

I said last year, the first days of Spring Festival feels like a war zone and promised to bring my camera for this year. But working such an irregular schedule left me so confused to date that I didn't even realize we were on the eve of the biggest holiday of the year (and forgot my camera).

Thankfully, Jay had his and was downtown (at his apartment) and created this great video:

Chinese New Year 2009!

So I've been busy working, privately teaching, and am about to start some other projects. It seems like there are always new projects and new opportunities in the horizon. For example, I just interviewed to be the English-speaking host of a TV show in China. How cool would that have been? (If I got it), but alas, my lack of acting of experience doomed that one.

Things seem to be at polar opposites to my last job; I go without much routine, have lots of flexibility and independence, and can spend time learning Chinese.
I see direct results to the amount of work I commit to a project. Finally, I get what I put in to my work and study - and it feels good. Still some things to be settled but I imagine that its going to be this way for a while; not bad.

Peace and love,
Brian

No internet = no blog

2009-01-29T08:38:00.002-05:00

I just moved to a new place closer downtown... but I can't seem to find a good (free) wifi connection there. So my days are spent running around from cafe to cafe (only those which offer free wifi) - I think average a ridiculous 3 cafes a day now. Just because I don't have an office and I need to travel around Shanghai so much.

Wifi/Cafe-hopping just gives me enough time to write some emails, and read the day's news. Hopefully the free wifi will come back to my house or my roommate will unlock our wifi when he comes back... and then I'll be able to blog more frequently again.

The good news is I get to use my mini-computer everyday now, which I've finally gotten used to.

Peace and love,
Bt

Chinese Economy

2009-01-11T10:17:00.003-05:00

Is the global economic crisis affecting Chinese consumers? It doesn't seem like it.

YouYiCheng (the local mall) was jam packed this weekend. I was with a local friend who remarked, "Crisis, what crisis?" referring to the mass of people running around with full shopping bags.

It might have been the clear sky and sunny winter weekend that got people in the shopping mood. Or perhaps it was the mall-wide 50% discount offered but it was so busy, you could not walk without bumping into someone else. Also, Spring Festival (the most important holiday of the year) is coming up, and people might be preparing some new clothes before meeting with their friends and family. So if there's a financial crisis around the world, Chinese consumers haven't taken that into account yet.

To see people shop like they were this weekend is surprising because I know I wasn't the only one feeling the crunch here in Shanghai. Over the past few months, during my job search, the most common response was "We're not looking to add costs in this economy." Another popular one, "Our budgets are frozen until after Spring Festival." Thankfully Chinese New Year is coming early this year, January 26.

After dinner on Friday night, another local friend sarcastically said, "We can't take a taxi. Don't you know there's an economic crisis?" To be honest, after hearing doom and gloom news so often, its nice, and actually a relief to see super-consumerism again.

3rd Place

2009-01-09T05:37:00.004-05:00

I read some time ago about the 3rd place, a place to hang out. It was somewhere in between home and the office. It was a common local place to make friends and build community, with the archetype example being Starbucks.

Not having a 2nd place, and so still having a lot of free time on my hand, I need to get out of my apartment as much as possible. I often go to nearby cafes to use the wifi, do homework and read the nytimes.

In Starbucks, this morning, I ran into two regulars from another cafe, Chartres. Later, at lunch in Chartres I ran into the same regular, and yet another from another local cafe UP's. I wonder what will happen if I go to Up's for dinner...

All this, is to say, this probably won't happen again because of some big upcoming changes to my Shanghai life over the next few weeks. :)

Bt

Hint: This picture is from my current apartment... how I will miss the glowing neons and constant construction of WJC...

Coffee: how i love/hate thee.

2009-01-04T15:43:00.003-05:00

Maybe its the regular coffee I drank at 5 pm, which I never do... or maybe its that I've had a lot on my mind...

I'm not sure, nor does it matter because its 5 am here and I'm still awake.

For the second time in a week, I'm uncomfortably awake during the early morning. While my head and body are both tired, I just can't seem to fall sleep.

This is particularly bad b/c this is also one of my resolutions this year: to wake up earlier! Jihye helped me come up with this one, after noticing my sloth-like approaches to morning. So far I've woken up at 11 am, 10 am, and tomorrow will have to be 9 at the latest because that's when I have Chinese class. I hate coffee for keeping me up, but trust it to give me that extra boost on those slow days...

My other resolutions for 2009:

Be more positive (absolutely!)
Wake up earlier (yeah...)
Improve Chinese (working on it)
Be cleaner (um...)

Note: its not me in the picture (I don't smoke).

Wow its 2009!! + 8 Lessons from 2008

2009-01-01T02:18:00.004-05:00

Wow its 2009 already!?

Let us remember 2008 as the year Brian Tam took over Shanghai, as evidenced by this photo:

Happy 2009 everyone!! 牛 "Niu" year as they are calling it in Shanghai. 牛 means cow and according to the Chinese zodiac calendar it will soon be officially Cow Year in late January. Cowabunga!!

Also here are 8 lessons I learned in 2008:

1) Everything is cheap here, but if you're getting paid in local currency, spend wisely.

2) Still you should spend money on experience, like local food, time with Chinese friends, like traveling. There are so many new experiences in another country. Some of it will require a little bit of money.

3) Authority is a big deal here. Cultures are different in every country and every company. Always respect the local culture. I personally learned in China, authority comes from age/rank, not from expertise or capability.

4) People will lose face over little things like friendly games of pool. About 8 months ago I went to play pool with some locals and one of them was supposedly very good. We were playing in pairs, and unfortunately he/his team had a bad game and we/I had an awesome one. He felt like he "lost face", and asked me for a rematch so he can "save face". He insisted so I went along to entertain him. (He won the rematch).

5) Don't criticize China... In general, don't jokes or comment about local culture or establishments.

6) Be aggressive with the taxi's or they take advantage of you (see last blog entry on the Foreigner Tax for more details)

7) Be careful when giving feedback in particular, negative feedback. Especially when you're perceived to have some authority or power (as a teacher). Giving someone a hard time isn't always understood as friendly play. So be careful what you say about someone because even if you're joking, they might believe it is true (internally) and feel hurt.

8) People don't like change. Yes, it took me until this year to figure truly understand this. This is about any kinda change, even the smallest differences can upset people's rhythm. For example, the students didn't like it when the class schedules were changed (nor did the teachers). But of course nothing really changed, except the time of the class! If you are going to make change happen do it slowly, explain clearly, keep everyone informed and remind them again.

That said, to live in Shanghai and work in China is to be in the middle of change, so one better learn to deal with it.

One more thing that will change... the year. '08 was great, and here comes '09!

Peace, love and thrifty spending for 2009!
Brian

The Foreigner Tax

2008-12-27T10:46:00.006-05:00

The Foreigner Tax is the extra cost of being a foreigner here in China or another way to say this: its the things you lose because you simply aren't a local and don't know any better.

Time, money and stuff
To best understand the foreigner tax I prepared a few examples from the past year of living here:
Tonight, when my girlfriend and I were walking around People's Square (city center) when I noticed a guy very close behind us... with HIS hand in HER pocket, picking at her wallet. I just caught him as he dropped the wallet to the ground! Thankfully we didn't lose anything and we were safe too. (Nearly lost: Money)

A less scary example from today, coming back from dinner tonight my girlfriend and I both stepped into a deep hole filled with fresh wet cement, completely submerging our shoes and pants with 6 inches of grey cement! The construction guy was saying something but what, I'm still not sure... (Lost: Stuff)

Friends of mine paid the Foreigner Tax on Christmas... the SEVEN of us were smack-dab-in the middle of a busy restaurant, peak dinner time, when they lost their bag right from under their feet! He, a loud friendly black guy from South Africa and his fresh-from-Germany girlfriend both lost their passports along with some time, money and other stuff.

Another example from more than a year ago, when a new tall blond teacher from England stepped onto a busy bus on her first day and stepped off without her wallet. Notably, this wasn't her first visit to China. (Lost: Money & Stuff!)

Every time you get into a bicycle-taxi, you should negotiate a price upfront (lesson I learned the hard way), and once they notice you're not from around here, they'll automatically quote you a higher rate. Really anytime you negotiate, being a foreigner you'll pay much more than any local would have. (Lost: Money)

Reality of Foreigner-Hood
This is just a collection of stories that I've experienced while living here... There are countless others, and its best to accept the Foreigner Tax as a reality of living here in Shanghai as a "wai guo ren" (foreigner or ~ an outside country person). It doesn't seem as if the cost is avoidable either, but some ways to prepare:

1) The best thing you could do is learn Chinese. But how could you possibly know the word for "cement." To be fair and in retrospect, the construction guy might have been warning us... very quietly and very casually saying something in Chinese (probably saying "cement..."). But between my girlfriend and I who have been in China combined 5 years, we didn't even realize he was talking to us! Haha :)

2) Another thing you could do is learn what the locals know... All the locals know that the ethnic minority from XinJiang are notorious pickpockets. They are easily distinguishable because they look like westerners, except they were born in Western China and aren't ethnically Han Chinese (they have more Eastern European facial features and some even have blue eyes). I'm still not comfortable because in America, this is blatant racial-profiling, isn't?

Plenty of students told me about their own stories with this stereotype ethnic minority and I usually brushed it off. But unfortunately today wasn't my only experience with a XinJiang person. Some time ago, I was walking with a friend when another guy nearly pick-pocketed us on East NanJing Road.
What I hear is that they typically work in groups and wander around the tourist filled pedestrian-streets and target unsuspecting foriegners... probably while the tourists are looking up and admiring how fast China's cities are developing. In my neighborhood, WuJiaoChang, there are plenty of foreign students and XinJiang people and of course I don't know if they are pick-pocketers, but now I might have suspicions.

3) Finally you can secure all your belongings in your best super-secret inside pocket... but at the end of the day, you still look like a foreigner!! Bargaining is a way of life in China and every time you negotiate for a taxi, food, or clothes you'll have to keep this in mind. They will always quote you a nice foreigner-exclusive price and that's just something you'll have to accept.

Is the Tax Off-Set?
I'd argue Foreigner Tax is sometimes off-set by the cheap cost of living... The shoes that were cemented were a brand new and comfortable pair that I bought just earlier today for 200RMB (~$14). But there is also undeniably a certain hassle of being targeted by the street-beggars (and sometimes their children) who expect the change in your pocket b/c they hear you speak another language.

The Foreigner Tax is an accepted reality for us in China. These are just a few of my stories, I wonder what other experiences anybody else has with the Foreigner Tax?

New plan.

2008-12-23T00:38:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays friends and family! It feels like this Christmas snuck up on me/us as we were distracted with other things in the news.

Recently I've sent out fewer job applications, and don't expect anymore interviews in the near future because I'm changing the focus of the job search. Instead I plan on developing a small idea I have.

The idea is to continue teaching business English but to target companies instead. Still, this is temporary but it'll give me time to work things out. Even this market is a little soft, as companies try to cut costs but I've noticed there is still demand for this service.

This idea will give me enough time to continue my Chinese classes 3 times a week and work on finding another job after a few months. This picture is from Chartres Restaurant near Fudan University, a good western restaurant and where I go after my classes.

Good news is that the nytimes is back... thanks!

Merry Christmas!

Bt

Blocked!

2008-12-20T01:09:00.002-05:00

Help me: the bbc and the nytimes have both been blocked here! The results of an online poll, from a writer of the Atlantic website say that these websites are inaccessible in China.

http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/12/poll_is_closed_results_are_in.php

Jay's Movie

2008-12-13T00:59:00.004-05:00

Hey check out this short movie that Jay made for his last day at EF. It's very good, and of course I'm in a few parts.

Recently I've been studying Chinese with my tutor, focusing on reading and writing (a little) three times a week. 现在我会看会读一些汉字。。。 I'm going to add another tutor this week to improve my speaking, which I feel is the most important. All this because the Shanghai job market basically doesn't have any room for people who don't speak Chinese well (especially now).

That said, the job search is going as well as you could expect. I've sent out a few dozen resumes, and have heard back from one company. I'll go to interview later this week. As I said earlier, my former students have helped me, a few recommending me for jobs, and we'll see how that works out. (Thank you students!)

My friend's Robin and Danielle were here last week to visit Shanghai and for a conference in Nanjing. They brought a feeling of home that I didn't expect but I surely needed.

I'm still here!

2008-12-03T11:26:00.002-05:00

I haven't had the chance to write recently, but here's a short video from Jay's last day - its from his Movie Club, a successful class he really made his own.

I wish the students were able to get my last day like this too, but I never made such a speech. (Tomorrow makes it three weeks since I left the school, and I miss it very much). Some things happening, I'll write more soon.

25 big ones!! (Pictures)

2008-11-26T22:29:00.007-05:00

Thanks for all the happy birthday wishes!!

I really didn't think to celebrate with a party but last night, got my friends and former coworkers together for a dinner. Including...

Lindsay and Jacky (the best front-desk guy)

Jay and Hilary

Sophia (local teacher) and Jake (Jay's replacement from America)

The odd couple: Gcobani (Foreign teacher from South Africa) and Robin (local teacher)

And of course JH and me :)

We went to an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet to celebrate. It was delicious!

The mature picture.

Still immature at 25... Unlimited beer was part of the deal too.

JH is/was beautiful and great. She got me white roses and a big chocolate-banana cake from my favorite restaurant!

Brian :D

Thank you and happy Thanksgiving!!

Oh it just keeps getting better...

2008-11-23T10:35:00.003-05:00

"IT’S not easy being 20-something these days." is the first lines of my favorite new NYTIMES column Under New Management, which is targeted at job seekers.

Not quite good news, but I haven't finished reading the article yet. Okay, I'm done reading and its about how companies should not mess with their management pipeline by restricting recruitment too much. (duh...)

Also if you were curious, the first line was about how everyone in their 20's are scrambling to compete with all the people who just lost their jobs. Its a decent article, for anyone job hunting. Nothing amazing, but average.

Okay time to sleep,
Brian

Job Hunting In Shanghai

2008-11-22T12:23:00.006-05:00

Week 1 (post job): super relaxing!

My first interview was on Wednesday. Overall it went very well and I left a good impression. Unfortunately, I don't expect a call back because we started speaking Chinese, which isn't "business-conversational" yet.

It was quite funny because but the guy said "this isn't an interview," but then continued to asked me about my experience, my plans for the next 5 to 10 years, and even my compensation expectations... I wish I had said, "Well since this isn't an interview... I expect to be paid $1,000,000!"

I should be nice because it was a student who recommended me and introduced me to the position. And that's really one of the main ways I'm doing this job hunting. networking. I've made so many friends the past year with my students and coworkers and they've been unbelievably great in helping me.

Recommended Chinese websites for job hunting...
Another coworker helped send my resume over to some HR friends...
Another student is friends with a high-level executive in a big headhunting firm...
Another student's husband, who is an HR manager, gave me some great resume revisions...

And so right now my main focus is sending out job applications and working on improving my Chinese. Jihye found me a teacher and I'll meet her everyday for an hour. I really hope she can help me because my Chinese skills are very strange, I can understand a lot, speak a little, read even less and write nothing.

So all in all, a good week. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Brian

Today makes it one year in Shanghai...

2008-11-18T07:48:00.004-05:00

I've been in Shanghai for 366 days now, and I can barely believe it. One year ago I would never guess that I'd be trying to stay for another year. So today is the official end of my contract, but thankfully I already stopped working 4 days ago.

With this chance for free time, I was worried I wouldn't find anything to do. But this mini-vacation doesn't even feel like one. I've been busy reconnecting with old contacts, catching up with my chores and with the remaining time relaxing. Its the perfect level of busy.

Soon I hope to learn more Chinese and in fact, I somehow have an interview tomorrow and I barely sent out any resumes yet. So i'm enjoying it all while it lasts...

Yesterday I went to XiTang an old water village, where they shot some scenes for Mission Impossible 3 with three of my former students. After we went to xiaduo (Chartres Restaurant) and Jay met us for dinner.

Pictures from My Last Week of Teaching

2008-11-14T22:54:00.001-05:00

Because Radio Wouldn't Work

4 more days...

2008-11-09T21:47:00.004-05:00

4 more days and then its back to "je suis au chomage," which is one of the first things I learned in French and it means I am unemployed. I have yet to learn it in Chinese because I hope there won't be much use for it here.

Where am I going? (no where, haha)

The next three months may be similar to the three months I spent in Paris. This includes living frugally with the money I saved up, travel once or twice, and invest in language lessons. Hopefully I can also explore the city more, and write about it too. Really, the only difference is that this time, I'll be job hunting too.

If all goes well, I'll be too busy to play video games.

Reading the nytimes

2008-11-06T20:36:00.003-05:00

Out of a Job, and Realizing Change Is Good. Sometimes when I read the nytimes its like someone is writing these articles just for me.

This one was written on October 25th, and its written by a woman who got "restructured out of" (lost) a nice Wall Street job and her experience in the following months. From my point of view, its like a guide of what to do next!

The plan 2008 and beyond

2008-11-06T11:18:00.004-05:00

The plan is simple. The contract with my current school ends in one week, and I'll need to find another job.

Actually its a not that simple. After my contract ends, I want to take a vacation in Hong Kong for a few weeks. After the vacation is when the job search really begins.

Although this isn't the best time to do a job search (as students and friends remind me daily of the financial crisis) I have little choice. I'm leaving the company because the contract is over. Which is good because I don't really want to teach English anymore and I'd like to get back into the business world where I can use my analytical brain a little more.

From the past year, I realized I really enjoy working with people. I get energy from meeting and interacting with as many new people as I can. I learned to entertain a little, explain things better and how to calm my nerves when I give a presentation. I also learned what its like working for a big company, what my strengths and weaknesses are and a lot about the local people/culture. I also developed many new skills and I will bring this all with me with my next job... all useful things for the future.

Brian Tam wants to go that way!

So I'm getting a tourist visa for the next three months and I'm confident that'll be enough time for me to find the job I want. However, local friends doing the job hunt don't seem to be very lucky and there seems to be more bad news everyday. SO if things don't work out, I'll go back to America and figure things out. Worst comes to worst, I can find another teaching job in Shanghai.

Stay tuned.

For my mother

2008-10-29T12:35:00.003-04:00

For my mother, b/c she says there aren't enough pictures of me... and some of my coworkers and students

tamonline

Next part of the world tour: Korea!

Makes you appreciate Shanghai!! (Conclusion of Next Available Train Adventure)

*Whenzhou (next available train update)

Mini-Update from Wenzhou (day 3, a frustrating night and morning)

Xiamen to Wenzhou (Next available train update)

Departing from Fuzhou (Next available train update)

First stop: Fuzhou (next available train update)

Hitting the road again! (Introduction to next available train)

TamOnline extends

+ Feeling Seoul Good!

400th Post! Shanghai's changing (again!)

Still waiting the results of the 48HFP (2 minute video link)

Update from work

'it aMUSEs me" my short film made for the 48hour film project

Quick post: The outtakes from my movie last weekend

Graduate of 48HFP: Shanghai

[Update] coffee, and a great breakfast

Eating glass...

Brian's2HFP

part of my new job

healthy dose of luck

Its time to move? *Pictures*

Gary Vaynerchuk: Do what you love (no excuses!) | Video on TED.com

Hang Zhou

New pic: new hat

The fish that destroyed my stomach.

HK: in black and white

Hong Kong Food

Valentine's Day + Lunar New Year

Happy Spring Festival

People of HK (part 2): Dai Pai Dang alley

HK: me

HK: People

HK: From the street

5 more pictures (Scenery)

Hong Kong

How cool is Hong Kong? + Picture

Footless Sneakers in Shanghai

Getting movies in China

Video: Non-Traditional Self Portrait

My Ayi

Watch your back in Shanghai

Pictures (Thanksgiving + Birthday)

Great Birthday! Happy thanksgiving.

Shanghai rain

Two great weeks in America, my home

Chinese Class: homework

KunShan Beer Festival (Pictures)

Back in DC/NJ on Sept 30- Oct 14th

Update

Bowling for Jihye

The survey says...

Not exactly taxi cab confessions...

Found: Shanghai Volleyball

Interview

They like me. They like me not. They like me...

July 2009?

My schedule in July

Oh really?!

Age-ism

Just another day, in Shanghaiville

Reminders

Business Cards

Mothers Day 2009

Things from home

3 weeks sure go by quickly - a picture post

3 weeks in America are finished

No more movie trailers please.

Two more...

Back from Shanghai

The New Land of Opportunity

I miss the days of "Frozen Budget"

Green Green Grass of Home

Welcome to the Niu Year (+ Video from Jay)

No internet = no blog

Chinese Economy

3rd Place

Coffee: how i love/hate thee.

Wow its 2009!! + 8 Lessons from 2008

Its time to move? Pictures