PicOTD: Watching Beijing’s Only Male Belly Dancer
August 9th, 2009
PicOTD: Unfortunate Photo Ops
August 1st, 2009
At least a year back now in a class trip to Shaoxing. Outside the liquor ‘factory’ where I sat out the tastings with the two serious muslims on the trip. I spent a lot of time talking to one of them, a stout guy from Tajikistan who had the entire Qur’an in audio form on his cell phone and suddenly started playing a section for me outside a cave full of Buddha’s until the teacher told him to give it a rest for a while. He didn’t actually speak Arabic himself. In the parking lot groups of Chinese tourists took turns taking ultra-embarassed photos with some of us laowai. Herds of them would push one of their friends into the frame with us and then snap away until their friend managed to escape. It was like trying to force a bunch of 9 year olds to dance with each other at a school dance. Cooties galore. Giggles for days. Glorious cross-culture ...READ MORE
PicOTD: Shanghai Aquarium/Don’t Taze Me Chou
July 23rd, 2009
Once Upon a Time in China
May 14th, 2009
reassuring words for tough times
May 13th, 2009
shrine / koh samet / thailand
May 10th, 2009
These often had glass bottles full of read liquid by them. but since strawberry Fanta and gasoline came in the same bottles in the same syrupy red color I don’t know which it was. Maybe 50/50, it’s hard for me to imagine which of the two liquids the gods would prefer. ...READ MORE
the old new china buffet + my eybrow
February 12th, 2009
the old new china buffet on south 27th street. diversity in action. on the left is a table full of hispanic dudes, above them back on the wall are hats for sale – one of them has a dollar sign pattern flaking off it, all are 6 dollars and being sold by the chinese man working the door. cry me a metaphor.
the chilled beverage center has horchata and there are wings, pizza, fries, potato salad, and jello; along with crab legs (please only take 5), brown sauced noodles, garlic bread, and more. there are young black women with a lot of children and more hispanic guys with tattoos on their necks. a table full of middle eastern men whose dress and ages range from office to hip-hop.
at the table with my eyebrow are an older white man, an older chinese man who immigrated from shanghai via hong kong in the 70s, and his son who uses his new film degree to make music videos in ...READ MORE
history for the taking
February 10th, 2009
after two weeks in a quiet little town called america i’m back and blogger than ever. driving one night back from o’hare airport i witnessed this historic moment on the illinois/wisconsin border. when i went back a few days later i saw the new signs omitted any mention of a governor and went with the generic ‘illinois welcomes you’ thus avoiding the need for new signage when yet another illinois governor gets indicted. urban planning. ...READ MORE
cctv9
January 18th, 2009
the venice of china
January 16th, 2009