MANNinCHINA

Moving...again!

2007-08-12T20:50:00.001+08:00

This is my third, and hopefully final, move. Blogspot has been blocked in China for a few months now. I've been publishing (not very frequently) via Windows Live Writer. It's been good, but I have to setup an ftp account on blogger for images (can't do - blocked). On top of that, I can't respond to comments.

So, I've got a new domain - mannblogs.com. I'm using Yahoo hosting and Wordpress for my blog. I'm continuing on with manninchina, but manninchina.com will redirect to the new blog location.

So - please visit - www.mannblogs.com/manninchina

1 Million cars...where did they go?

2007-08-12T10:25:00.001+08:00

Supposedly, Beijing is removing 1 million cars from the roads between 7 August - 20 August. I'm not surprised by this and completely believe they can and will do this (did something similar last October for the China-Africa Summit). However, I didn't notice any reduction in cars between the 7th - 10th.

Beijing has over 3 million cars on the road today...they add over 1,000 new cars to the roads each day. Why not stop adding? I know it's not that easy...but for a government who can tell 1 million people they can't drive for 2 weeks, why can't they tell potential car buys they can't buy for 1 year? Yes, this has other impacts (car sales, fuel sales, etc...), but there will be just that much more of a demand post Olympics - just start preparing for that.

Much of the city traffic, in my view, is caused by people walking and on bicycles. The "people watchers with flags" really don't do much in the way of stopping people from walking or riding through the intersections when they aren't supposed to.

Blue skies

2007-08-08T17:05:00.001+08:00

Happy to report that the skies are blue in Beijing today - not one sign of polluted air (other than the stains on all of the buildings).

Today marks the 1 year countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but it doesn't seem like there is much celebration going on. Maybe because I'm out in Shangdi, very far from the "cool area" of Beijing at work. But, even at Lenovo - I haven't seen any sign of a celebration...

The countdown begins...

2007-08-07T15:42:00.001+08:00

Tomorrow (08/08/07) marks the 1 year countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It also marks my attempt to get back to regular blogging again and put some more interesting content up to get my following back! We'll see how that goes...

Lot's of talk as to whether China is ready for the 08' Olympics or not. I can't speak to the status of any project in particular, but I can tell you the following...

Construction projects - seem to be moving faster & faster. It's unbelievable to see how quick they are moving on the CCTV complex and China World #3 ... both huge, huge projects. But, will all the cranes be out of sight by year's end? ... doubtful.
Traffic - sucks...will continue to suck until; 1) They get better driving schools in China; 2)Stop selling new cars; 3)Current drivers get better road manners (patience, for starters).
Food - I haven't noticed a problem, but maybe that's because I'm used to it after being here for almost a year.
English - taxi drivers aren't even close to being able to take foreigners around without relying heavily on written directions from the passengers (in Chinese) or maps (in Chinese)
Air quality - keep forcing it to rain, maybe it will wash it all a way (for a few days). I think this and food are the two biggest concerns for Olympic athletes coming to Beijing.

NY Times has a good article published today too -

"China under fire..."

My recent experience (yesterday) with the traffic situation, which is mentioned in the article, really opened my eyes to how bad these issues may be. My commute sucks as it is (1 hour in the morning, usually 1.5 hours in the evening). Last night ... 3 hours. Why? Due to the rain. It has been raining here a lot lately, which is very unusual for Beijing. Usually, the rain is "forced" (they seed the clouds with sulfur rockets). Why is this done? People believe mainly to clean up the air when there are important visitors in town. I'm taking a guess that this is why it's been raining so much the last week.

Well, a lot of rain causes problems...flooding. Was this not expected? Last night, 2 days before the 1 year mark, this flooding wreaked havoc on the city (and caused my shoes to be caked in mud). I hope tomorrow (8/8) proves to be a clear and traffic free day!

"Toilet Culture"...what the....???

2007-07-09T10:49:00.001+08:00

Let's just hope they can keep this clean...

"A lulu of a loo"

Back in Beijing & can access flickr!

2007-06-25T13:10:00.001+08:00

I arrived back in Beijing yesterday afternoon...feels great to be back. I never thought I would call China home, but I do...for now.

I previously reported that flickr was blocked in China. It may have been last week, but can access it now. This is the good news. The bad news is, the pages (and images) in flickr are not loading completely. Pages with photos will load, but the actual photo won't appear. The status bar at the bottom of the page says "done" ... hmm. This may just be a network glitch now, but likely has something to do with the great fire wall.

So, I think I got my hopes up. Sucks to not be able to view images, but at least I can load up my images for those outside of China to view. The saga continues...

This is getting old, really old...

2007-06-20T18:38:00.000+08:00

Users rage against China's 'Great Firewall'

It seems that since I left Beijing last week for India, flickr.com is the latest casualty of the Great Firewall. It's starting to eat at me. Blogger blocked again and now flickr, where I have all of my photos (OK, not all, since I've been slacking).

I understand why the blocking happens (understand = know the reasons...not agree with), but I'm fed up. What can I do? Find work-arounds. I'm moving back into yahoo hosting for my blogs (have confirmed that it is accessible in China...as of now). As for flickr...not sure yet. I guess I'll just host my pictures on yahoo via my hosting account.

This sucks.

Biodome II anyone?

2007-06-19T23:46:00.000+08:00

Space pioneers wanted for 520-day Mars experiment

This reminds me of the movie "Biodome." Don't think Pauly Shore is going to make the cut for this one though. Odds of this being turned into a reality TV show? I would say not good, but they should definitely consider it. I can't imagine the doors not being opened before 520 days.

Bangalore @ 6:30am

2007-06-16T10:18:00.000+08:00

I decided to take a walk through the streets of Bangalore this morning. It's amazing to walk out of a nice hotel and see what you see around here. Not even pictures can tell the story about how far behind India is in many aspects.

This woman caught my eye as I was walking back to the hotel. I wonder what her story is. I don't even want to guess.

India vs. China - Outline

2007-06-15T19:20:00.001+08:00

I'm on my third trip to India (Bangalore) and have spent about nine months in China (Beijing) so far. I think it's about time I start providing my view of a comparison between the these two massive countries.

What I'll cover (if anyone would like any other areas covered, let me know and I'll try my best):

1. Ease of travel to & from (Visas, Airlines, Routes, Airports, etc...)

2. Transportation in country (Driving services, taxis, etc...)

3. Infrastructure (Roads, Power, Water, Internet, etc...)

4. Hotels/Apartments

5. Population/Poverty

6. Skill/Capabilities/Cost

7. Foreign enterprises and investment

8. Stock Market

9. Culture

10. Language/Communication

11. What people think (about their own country and others).

12. Manners

13. Corruption/Government

I think that'll be a good start.

Blogspot blocked in China...again

2007-06-08T19:34:00.001+08:00

Can't access manninchina.blogspot.com from China. This is getting old.

Pinyin to English / Chinglish to English / Old English to Proper English

2007-06-07T17:12:00.001+08:00

Beijing is really starting to make an effort with changing out Chinglish to English. The most well known example is the change from the "Dongda Anus and Intestine Hospital" to the "Dongda Proctology and Intestine Hospital." That place is right near my apartment, laughed every time I saw it.

Here's an article covering the other areas...

"Hello toilet, goodbye WC for Beijing Games"

Some concerns with this:

1. Taxi drivers cannot speak English. Out of the thousands of taxis I've ridden in Beijing, a handful could speak some, very broken, English...similar to my level of Chinese. If street signs are changed to English - are the taxi drivers going to understand? I think not. Same goes for Olympic venues, restaurants, etc... I had heard all taxi drivers in Beijing have to pass an English test prior to the Olympics if they want to drive during the Olympics. I'm not sure how this is progressing, but from what I can tell...it hasn't move past "Hello!" and "OK".

2. I don't want to see the pinyin removed. For someone who lives here and is trying to learn Chinese to effectively communicate with the the people of China, the pinyin is very helpful. Keep the pinyin, add the English.

3. Good luck with the menus...that's all I have to say about that.

I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of pointing during the 2008 games. Pointing at maps, location cards, menus, sporting events, etc...

Windows Live Writer & Google Reader

2007-06-07T11:33:00.001+08:00

After connection issues with live writter, it's working again. This is nice, especially because my blogger account still remains 100% in Chinese.

I've started to use Google Reader, mainly so I can read wordpress blogs (which are blocked again by the Great Firewall). However, I can't find a way to comment on blogs via Google Reader...is there a way to do so? If not, any other solutions out there?

Taxi ditch

2007-06-07T11:22:00.001+08:00

I've done it before and I'll do it again in Beijing. There are some great taxi drivers in this city...the guys who are very cheerful, nice and always willing to help and deal with my poor Chinese...they even teach me to say things properly. Then, there are the guys who are just aholes...pretend they don't understand you and then try to rip you off.

I have some friends in town visiting; they got to experience taxi ditch last night. Needless to say, they guy wasn't too happy when we ditched at a red light. As he pulled up to me and spoke some choice words...I did the same (those, I can say perfectly). We then hopped in another taxi and went on our way.

Frustration

2007-05-29T09:24:00.000+08:00

My blogger account remains in Chinese, no matter how many times I've changed the country/language settings + cleared cache & cookies. The "recognize your country" function for some websites really sucks. Just because I'm in China doesn't mean I want my account in Chinese!

In addition to this problem, wordpress is yet again blocked.

Last...yesterday I went to the Lenovo "restaurant" with some other assignees here in Beijing (from Greenock, Scotland). My Chinese is the best of the group (which isn't saying much), so I did the ordering. Needless to say, it was a complete debacle. 5 minutes in, we had 4 or 5 waitresses hanging around us giggling and trying to figure out what the hell we wanted. In the end, we got what we wanted, just a bit too much of it.

Immediately following that, I contacted the language school and got my classes back on the calendar.

India

2007-05-22T15:16:00.001+08:00

IMG_0055
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

After my second trip to India (Bangalore), it's starting to grow on me. This time around, I think it was the King's Castle. He had some cool stuff in there...namely, some elephant feet. I think they have fungus under their toe nails though. The head that belongs to a couple of those feet was also in the castle...picture is in the flickr stream, somewhere.

BTW...the King lives in the Castle too...weird.

Back at home...in China

2007-05-18T18:48:00.001+08:00

Finally back in Beijing, after the US & India. Good to be back...lots of catching up to do.

Fast & free

2007-04-27T17:30:00.000+08:00

I didn't think there was that much of a difference in internet speed from US & China, but wow, I really do notice a difference. At this 5 times faster here. And of course, the ability to roam the internet freely is a nice change.

Home sweet home

2007-04-27T12:34:00.000+08:00

After 20+ hours of travel, I'm finally home in Buffalo. It feels good. I felt really weird when I was in Chicago, seeing so many people, that weren't Chinese. I also got to experience my first taste of home "hospitality" ... as I asked a woman working at one of the ticket counters in Chicago ... "can you tell me what terminal flight X is leaving from?" ... "No, I can't!" ... "Thanks so much for your help." So, that was nice.

First meal...BBQ chicken finger sub. First drink...MILK.

Hope to get some sleep tonight. Then it's off to Tony's in the morning for a haircut and then some friends from Raleigh are flying in for my brother's stag this weekend.

Goin' home!

2007-04-25T08:56:00.000+08:00

Well, after 8 months in China, I'm finally making a trip back to the US. Hard to believe it's already been 8 months, seems like it's only been a couple.

So, off to Buffalo, NY tomorrow. 10 days there. My older brother is getting married on May 5. Stag (bachelor party) this coming Saturday. It's been more than 8 months since I've seen most of my family & friends, so I'm really looking forward to it. I've also got my liver nice and primed for the amount of alcohol consumption that will occur.

After the craziness in Buffalo, I'm heading down to Raleigh, NC for 4 days. More family and friends to see there & I'll finally get to see the new Lenovo campus there (wonder if I'll have a desk...likely not). Have a round of golf planned with some friends and people from work too.

So, after 2 weeks in the US, I'm off to India for a few days for work. Then finally, back to Beijing.

It'll be nice to get away from here for a while, but I'm sure I'll miss it!

Biking in Beijing

2007-04-23T10:57:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was another great day in Beijing (the weather, that is). Saturday was golf and Sunday was biking around the death trap roads in Beijing. I didn't have a bike, until yesterday. I went to one of 1000 bike shops around Beijing and tried a few out. They don't really have any monster size bikes around here, but the one I got is big enough. A GIANT mountain bike with front shocks...very important for riding around Beijing.

So, after the purchase, a friend of mine and me headed off for a ride around the city. Started off at Ho Hai, then through the Forbidden City and back home. Was great. Almost got ran over a few times, but that's part of the experience.

Birthday in Beijing

2007-04-23T10:50:00.000+08:00

Saturday was my bday, getting older. On Friday, my team had a little surprise for me. A cake & a video. Here's the video...sorry, can't share the cake.

MILK

2007-04-20T10:36:00.000+08:00

I have not had a glass of milk since August 15, 2006. I can't remember a time before that when I've gone more than one day without a glass of milk, let alone 8 months without. I would say that I had averaged at least a gallon every two, maybe three days. Growing up, we lived on milk. Milk with every meal, including pizza. My parents probably spent more on milk than anything else.

In China, I do have milk. I put it in cereal and coffee, that's it. The taste isn't horrible, but it's just a lot different. I won't drink a glass of milk here.

I'm heading back to the States next week. People keep asking me what I miss most. MILK. A weird answer, yes...but I miss it. Of course, family and friends too...but as far is the non-important stuff goes, it's milk.

Get the milk ready mom & dad, I'm coming home!

‘Mayor of Seneca Street’ dies at 60

2007-04-18T16:28:00.000+08:00

‘Mayor of Seneca Street’ dies at 60

I can't say I remember Joey all that much, but I do remember him at block parties around South Buffalo. I'm sure he'll make some more people smile wherever he ends up.

The driver

2007-04-18T16:06:00.000+08:00

I have a guy that takes me too and from work each day. A friend of mine in Beijing hooked me up with him, his company uses this guy and his friends as their drivers too.

His name is Shi (pronounced - Shir). He's a short, balding guy. He drives like a maniac and has come close to head on collisions many times, but I don't mind...he gets me where I need to go as fast as he can.

The funniest part of my day typically happens around 7am when he picks me up. Most days, he's passed out in the driver seat waiting for me. I open the back door...he whips his seat back up in place, throws the pillow to the passenger seat, starts the car and drives off. All of this before I even have the car door closed.

We gave him the nick-name, "Dale." He could probably be a pretty good race car driver. I don't know anyone who could navigate the roads of Beijing as well as this guy can.

My friend and I have been looking for a NASCAR jacket for a while now, but have yet to come across one. So, last weekend, we did come across something close. It's a Kappa jacket (Kappa - logo with two girls, back-to-back). It says "Speed Racer" on it, among other things.

My friend presented him with the jacket yesterday, and explained why we got it for him. This morning, he was all smiles...picked me up proudly sporting the new jacket. Wait...maybe he was all smiles because of the pretty girl sitting in the front seat....that's a story for another day.

Lenovo FY 2008 Kick-Off meeting - Beijing

2007-04-18T16:02:00.000+08:00

Last week, Lenovo China had their FY2008 kick off meeting. My first "all hands" meeting in China. I've been to tons with IBM and a few with Lenovo in Raleigh, but those don't compare to this.

I can't say it was strange...but it was weird. At the beginning, the company song was placed. I've been here for almost 8 months, and I think that was the first time I've heard it. The first thing that caught me a bit off guard was that most of the meeting (almost 4 hours) was in Chinese. I should have assumed that going in, but Amelio and some other non-Chinese Sr. VPs were on the agenda too. We were handed headsets when we came in, used for an English translation during the meeting.

The translators were not good, at all. I'm sure it's not easy to interpret, real time, but it was bad. There were two interpreters switching on and off. They would come in and out of the booth, forgetting to close the door. Shuffling papers around, not able to keep up, skipping entire sentences, etc.... That part of the event just was not a good experience. I have a couple English majors on my team who could have done a much better job, I'm sure.

It was interesting to see how excited the employees here in China got. The employee recognition here also seems pretty good. I believe they had over 100 employees recognized at the event. All received flowers, a plaque or trophy and likely some cash too.

At the beginning of the meeting, I noticed some sections had large flags rolled up. I had no idea what they were going to do with them. At the end of the meeting, the leaders of each organization in China got up on stage one-by-one, chanted some stuff, rolled out some small signs in Chinese (I believe they were stating their commitments for FY2008). Then, they asked their teams to stand up in the crowd and repeat after them. That's when the flags came out (Lenovo flags) and people shouted back the statements to the people on the stage. Very interesting, never saw anything like that before.

The last part of the event had Chairman Yang and Bill Amelio on stage, in F1 racing jackets. They grabbed a couple of "gas pumps" and began pumping blue liquid into a clear Lenovo glass tank. When the tank was full, race car sounds began and a car appeared on the big screen. Finally, an F1 race car (AT&T/Williams car - Lenovo sponsored) came crashing through a paper wall and revved its engine for a while. Kind of cool, got people excited.

I'll get to experience a few more of these here, I'm sure the next will be more interesting than the last.

Beijing Construction Team

2007-04-16T19:13:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine here in Beijing had a great idea over the weekend.

In most cases, every construction worker has a very specific job around here. One guy has a small phillips head screw driver, one has the big one, one has the hammer, on the drill, etc.... They use that one tool pretty much all day. So, on their next job, they can say "I'm an expert with the medium size flat head screw driver." We see these guys every day and it gets more and more hilarious every time we see them.

So, what are we going to do? Picture time! We're creating a collection of the Beijing construction workers. Over the weekend we captured one guy with 3 shovels! I think we got one with a welding mask too. Collection will end up on flickr. Stay tuned.

Beijing Paddy's Day - one of my favorite pictures

2007-04-16T17:49:00.000+08:00

This is a picture I took of my cousin in the Forbidden City, on Paddy's day. It's a great shot. I need to get this one blown up and framed. I've got another picture of the same cousin, a couple hours after midnight on this Paddy's day...it's another favorite, though I'm sure his mother wouldn't be happy with the shot ;-). It'll make its way onto the blog or flickr account sooner or later.

I've got 3 months worth of posts and pictures to talk about up here... they'll come out one at time, maybe a few at a time, if I get really ambitious.

The duck saga, continued...

2007-04-10T12:47:00.000+08:00

Sad news today, the ducks perished in the vehicle trunk yesterday evening. The burial is being held today at the Beijing Da Dong Roast Duck restaurant in Chaoyang District.

Lesson learned...ducks can only live in a trunk for 24 hours, no longer.

Pet ducks...who does that?

2007-04-09T13:39:00.000+08:00

I heard a story today that almost made me pee my pants. Over the weekend, someone in Beijing purchased some pet ducks (I think for their kid). First off, who does that? Maybe farmers, but not people who live in a city, right? I do recall a Friend's episode when Joey had a pet duck.

Anyway, as the story goes, this person purchased two ducks, put them in the trunk of the car and proceeded home. I assume maybe this person was excited to break out the ducks and present them to the child...or maybe, just excited to get home and have some dinner. Well, the ducks remained in the trunk of the car, probably just chatting away to each other...all night. Yes, they remained in the trunk of the car through the night and into the morning. Did this person recall the purchase from the previous day? Nope.

Have you ever been driving down the road and hear a sound coming from your car? Usually the sound is a flat tire, something you ran over, etc... how about quacking? I guess this person couldn't hear the quacking, until he arrived at work in the morning. They weren't dead! Could you imagine the "duh, you dumb ass" feeling you would get if you did this? I guess someone or some ducks could probably survive in a trunk for at least a couple days. And hey, if one of the ducks dies, the other one could snack on it. Beijing Duck!

So, what would you do? Turn around and take them home? Let them go? Give them to one of the cleaning people or parking attendants? Nah, let's ask someone else if they can take care of the problem for you....

"Hey, would you mind putting a couple ducks in your car and taking them home for me?" " Sure, no problem, I love duck poop. "

Well, that didn't work either. So, now, these ducks are just chilling out in the parking garage, making a mess of this person's trunk. Probably time for a trade in.

Moral of the story...don't buy pet ducks.

Paddy's Day in Beijing

2007-03-22T21:17:00.000+08:00

For now...no words. Just pictures. More to come.

Test from Windows Live Writer

2007-02-12T16:07:00.001+08:00

I am migrating to a new ThinkPad (X60). With the migration, I am gettting myself more organized. As part of that, I'm going to try out Windows Live Writter for blogging. I've heard good things about it and I'm sick of jotting potential blog posts down in text files.

Thankfully I'm a sweater

2007-02-09T12:53:00.000+08:00

Women like man sweat

Fear not, all you sweaters out there!

A first

2007-01-31T22:02:00.000+08:00

Tonight was the first time in 5 months that I noticed the stars in the skies above Beijing.

I don't think this is an anomaly. Rumor has it that the "smackdown" is put on the factories here (i.e., use your filters) when the Olympic committee is in town. Oddly enough, they were here in the middle of January.

The real blue zoo

2007-01-31T20:57:00.000+08:00

My apartment didn't come "fully stocked" with things like dishes, glasses, etc.... It had some, but not much and certainly not anything you'd be proud to entertain people with. Well, I decided I'd have some people over for dinner this Friday, so...time for some purchasing.

Where to go? I figured either Walmart or IKEA. I had been to neither thus far in my stay here in Beijing. I've heard stores about both. Particularly, IKEA...where people would hang out on the couches (which are in the furniture showrooms), go there just to eat the Swedish meatballs in the food court, over-crowded, etc... Based solely on those rumors, I decided I'd go see for myself....and, buy some stuff too.

I'll start off with the good stuff. All of the rumors I heard are true. The place is a mad house (hence, the blue zoo), people literally do seem to go there just to hang out. The top floor consists of many different style rooms (living rooms, dens, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms). There were people just sitting around, chatting away in every one of these rooms. I didn't come across anyone sitting on a toilet, but I was hoping too (thankfully, they don't have squatters in the show rooms). The food court, it was packed...not an unhappy person in there. And the elevators, you could fit a mid-size car in those things!

All-in-all though, it's a great place to go shopping for "home stuff" here in Beijing. They have everything you need. I'd highly recommend it. Although, be prepared to get pissed off due to the over flowing amount of people wandering around.

BTW...I walked around just about that whole place. I think I was 1 of 10 foreigners in there. Thousands of Chinese.

Pond hockey at the blue zoo

2007-01-30T01:43:00.000+08:00

On Sunday afternoon, I went and met some friends at a restaurant near the "Blue Zoo" and the "Worker's Stadium." The Workers Stadium is a huge soccer (futbol) stadium that is being renovated now for the Olympics. The first NFL game will also be held there in August, this year.

Anyway, the restaurant looks over a small pond in front of the blue zoo. It's frozen now...well, mostly frozen. There were quite a few people out there skating. Not only skating, but also scooting around on these small wooden stools with short wooden poles to push them along. Weird. I'll get some pictures next time. There were also a lot of old people out there, skating along in their "speed skates." Those are the skates with long blades and flimsy boots.

All of the sudden, I see a puck slide down the ice! Then, a group of four Chinese guys appear with some sticks and gloves on. I didn't think people would play pond hockey in China. It was pretty cool to see. Made me want to get out there with them....but...I can't find any sticks here! I also don't have the rest of my equipment. Sounds like a job for my cousin, when he comes here in March.

I'm not sure this ice would hold me too well though. My mom does say I'm a graceful skater, but I think this ice is a bit too thin for this big, graceful guy.

What is the "blue zoo" you ask? Come on!

The coffee maker

2007-01-29T10:31:00.000+08:00

A few months ago, I bought a coffee maker for the office. I did this mostly for my benefit, but I figured some people on the team would use it. I knew that coffee was not very popular in China (tea, of course, is the hot beverage of choice). However, I didn't realize that people would not know how to use a coffee maker, stupid me.

So, after a couple weeks of just assuming no one else wanted coffee, the team finally asked me for a quick tutorial on how to make coffee. I was a bit surprised and found it a tad funny, but I went on with the tutorial. I went through it, step-by-step ... how to put the filter in, how many scoops of coffee, how much water ... that's pretty much it!

So, it was going fairly well. Although, the coffee pot would get left on for hours & hours...I think they were using more of the powder cream than the coffee...to be expected, I guess. Then, something happened...we ran out of coffee filters.

My expectations...someone would order some more. Nope. They continued to make coffee, using the little basket that you place the coffee filter in, as the filter. I wasn't sure what to think, but it was time for another quick tutorial.

I think we're back to normal now, but we'll see what happens when we run out of water.

Lost in translation x 2

2007-01-24T11:06:00.000+08:00

Last night, I wandered around the corner to an Irish pub (Tin Whistle) I had heard about in Dalian. It was a Tuesday night, but I was expecting to see some people in the bar. I walked in to find only the bartender and another women who works in the bar.

This was my first visit to an Irish pub in China. I ordered a Guinness and felt like I was sitting at the Blackthorn in South Buffalo (though, I would be drinking Labatt Blue there). The bartender's name; Cherry. She spoke some English, but not a ton. I decided I wouldn't ask her why she chose that name. I sat there for about an hour talking to her about China, where she's from (Harbin), why she's in Dalian, etc...

Then, the owner stumbled in the door. He said a quick hello & proceeded to sit down on a bar stool with his head hanging down as if a brick was hung from his neck. Cherry whispered to me..."I scared of him." I asked why. She said..."Because when he drunk, he crazy and he always drunk!" He's an older Irish man. He lives a simple life..."runs" a bar, lives in China, gets drunk.
Finally, he decided to leave (after he left and came back about 5 times).

Next, a French guy wandered in. He was clutching two books...a French-English dictionary & a French-Chinese dictionary. Both looked to be heavily used. He really could not speak much English. I almost found it easier to try to communicate with him in the little amount of Chinese that I know, but that didn't work either. I did manage to determine that he lives in Dalian as a ship captain.

It was very interesting to be in China (Dalian), sitting in an Irish pub, drinking a Guinness, listening to U2 and trying to bridge communications between a French guy, two Chinese women and myself. Very interesting couple of hours.

Spit sacks

2007-01-23T21:57:00.000+08:00

I'm going to be a bit negative here...

"Shanghai cabs to get ‘spit sacks’"

What the hell are you thinking!? I'm sorry, but there is no way this is a good idea, nor is it going to help to alleviate the amount of spitting in Shanghai. Really, spend 30 seconds and think about it.

First of all, does anyone want to ride in a vehicle sitting next to a bucket full of spit? I don't. Second, does anyone want to ride in a vehicle with spit all over it (because, people are not going to hit the 'sack' 90% of the time)? I don't. Third, does anyone want to ride in a vehicle with a bucket full of spit tipping over on you as the taxi driver weaves in & out of traffic, dodges people on bikes, etc...? I don't.

I haven't seen the design of this thing, maybe it's great and none of the above will happen. But, I can assure you, people aren't going to use this. Spitting will continue until people have suck straws (like dentists use) permanently installed in their mouths.

Sounds of a hotel lounge in Dalian

2007-01-23T18:36:00.000+08:00

"Hit me baby one more time"
- The cell phone ring tone of a Chinese guy...not only was it weird to hear it, it was the loudest I've ever heard a cell phone ring in my life

Deep southern accents
- A couple of guys from North Carolina chatting away over a couple of beers

Hotel girls asking for room numbers
- About every 3 minutes, you hear the hotel greeters asking for room numbers as people enter the lounge.

The constant beeping of car horns
- OK, this is anywhere you go in China

CNN
- On every TV...for the foreigners, of course

Starbucks...maybe a bit too invasive

2007-01-19T12:21:00.001+08:00

P1010233
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

While there isn't a Starbucks on every corner in China, they are certainly plentiful. In my recent visit to Shanghai, I came across a Starbucks that just seemed to be a bit out of place (pictured above). This Starbucks is located in the Yu Garden area of Shanghai. I don't know much about the Yu Garden, but I know it's a very old and historic place in Shanghai & maybe Starbucks shouldn't be there.

This morning on CNN, I heard Starbucks may get evicted from its Forbidden City location in Beijing. I kind of hope they do. There really is no reason for Starbucks to exist inside the gates of the Forbidden City. If us foreigners want some Starbucks, we can get it before we enter the gates. Read more here...

Time to move out Starbucks, there are plenty of other corners in China for you to park your over-priced beverage stand.

It's a small world

2007-01-19T11:22:00.000+08:00

Buffalo is a fairly well-known city in the US (mostly negatively well-known, that is ... snow & the Bills ... also known as the home of the chicken wing & the Sabres are starting to add some positives to the city). Buffalo is also known for the huge number of people that leave the city each year.

I would have never thought that I'd run across someone from South Buffalo, living in China. Well, on Wednesday night, I did! I was out at the Goose & Duck in Beijing with a guy from North Carolina (he's a friend of my Uncle's). Ed (the guy from South Buffalo) was rifling through some DVDs and as we were asking him about the titles, we found out he & his wife were from South Buffalo. I forgot his last name, but we didn't seem to know any of the same people (which is strange), but I'm sure we'll meet up at the G&D again.

Weird!

More pictures from China, finally!

2007-01-15T16:36:00.001+08:00

PC250121
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

I have finally gotten around to loading most of my backlog of pictures from the last few months (Beijing, Dalian, Taishan, Shanghai, etc...).

Check them out here @ my flickr account.

The flat world + pizza

2007-01-11T21:32:00.000+08:00

As I get back into the blogging groove, I thought I would start with some fresh content. I still have loads of content from the last 30 days to get up here, including a lot of pictures. I've been really slacking lately (sorry).

Anyway...tonight I learned something new. Pizza is a "global food." Before coming to China, I obviously knew pizza would exist here, but I didn't know how many Chinese have actually every had it, or like it. Well, tonight, I asked my team to hang with me until about 9pm, so I ordered a bunch of pies. From where? Domino's.

I didn't ask the entire team before I ordered it if they liked pizza, I was kind of just hoping everyone would. Well, they did...the really, really liked it. I asked some stupid questions, like..."have you ever had pizza before?" There were a couple who hadn't, but the majority did.

I guess this was just one of those experiences that may seem really trivial & common, but it was actually pretty interesting for me.

So, the reason for the pizza dinner in the office...

Tonight, I held my first video conference, with the help of friend and colleague Esteban (thanks dude!) Obviously, Lenovo has teams across the world, in many different countries. Well, part of our web teams are in Buenos Aires, Argentina & Beijing, China. Aside from the language barriers, 11 hour time differences and slow connection speeds, we pulled off a first video conference between the two teams. There was a very simple purpose...to introduce the two teams to each other. It was a cool experience and there will certainly be many more to come.

Through 2007, my "flat world" experiences will be a theme over here on manninchina.

I'm still alive

2007-01-03T20:57:00.000+08:00

The last 30 days or so have been very busy and quite interesting. I will admit, I did slack on the blog. However, much hiring was done and it was a first for me to spend the Christmas & New Year holidays away from the US and away from my family.

Don't despair, there is a blog backlog built up that will be released soon.

As for the new year...still thinking about it.

The aroma of home

2006-12-07T10:31:00.000+08:00

I didn't bring much in the way of "food" from the US with me to China. I figured I'd be able to survive just fine, and I have. That doesn't mean I don't miss certain things from home. I think the item I miss most...milk. Yes, they have milk here in China, but it has a weird taste. I can't drink it straight, I only put it in my cereal. Back in the US, I would drink milk like a horse drinks water, by the gallon.

This morning I brewed my first pot of Tim Horton's coffee. This is a chain that commands the Canadian coffee & doughnuts market; it is also all over Buffalo, NY, where I'm from. My mom & dad were nice enough to put together a nice package of stuff for me. A friend of mine here goes back to the States every couple months, so they shipped it to his house and he brought it back for me. I also got some candy canes (my team was very intrigued by them), sponge candy (another Northern NY treat), a Vonage v-phone (which is sweet!) and most important of all; the DVD of "A Christmas Story." In the spirit of this movie, I will likely enjoy some Beijing Duck & Christmas carols sung by the Chinese for Christmas dinner.

Anyway, back to the coffee. It was good. No, it was great. Thanks Mom & Dad!

Sense of Pride (Part I)

2006-12-05T08:26:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, December 1st, I was on my way into the office when some sort of feeling hit me. I wasn't sure what it was, but I think I knew what caused it. I always gaze out the car window on my way to work, to see what's going on in Beijing.

I was listening to some Dave Matthews Band that particular morning (on the iPod, of course). I typically try to listen to some mellow, relaxing music at the start and end of each day; for reasons I think one could only understand if you were working in Beijing. Music (like beer), sometimes sparks my thoughts, ideas & imagination.

This particular Friday was one of the most clear days I've witnessed in Beijing since I've been here. I could see the mountain ranges that surround Beijing (Beijing is basically in a bowl) in the distance, noticing some of the temples that sit top of the bare mounds of rock. The bone chilling wind was blowing, the leaves were churning & thousands of people were making their way to begin another day.

Beijing is booming, obviously. I can't even imagine how much manpower & money is behind the construction & cleanup boom going on in Beijing; and all over China for that matter. This was the first thing that "hit" me on this particular Friday. I noticed some construction workers hanging off the side of a newly constructed building putting some finishing touches on the windows. Three months ago, this building was a long way off from finished. Now, it's a masterpiece in the Beijing skyline. What must go through their heads when these guys, many earning only a few dollars a day, finish these huge structures of steel & concrete? Do they feel proud of what they did? Do they get any sort of "reward" upon completion? Do they tell their kids about it...point it out to them as they ride their bikes by? These blue collar workers are changing this country just as the blue collar workers in the US did after WWII.

In addition to the hundreds of construction projects I see each morning, I see the people of Beijing out on the streets & in the parks. Mostly I see the "older" generation of Beijing'ers. There are many small parks around Beijing, most of them contain some exercise equipment & ping pong tables. It's now December, with morning temperature highs close to 20 F. This is not stopping these people from rising early (I see them around 7am each day) and getting outside to start their mornings right. From the groups of old ladies doing tai chi, to the old couple playing a game of ping pong against each other, to the old man keeping his flexibility in tact on the aerobic
exercise equipment. These are for the most part, the "Mao era" generation sticking to some of the ways many Chinese began their days with back then. Why aren't the younger generations participating? They're out changing this country in a different way.

The 20 & 30 somethings of China are a powerful group of people. They are ready to take on the the world and make their country the best. I first began to really notice this first hand as I was conducting interviews for my first time in China back in July. At some point in the interview, I would try to get a feeling for just how energetic a particular candidate was (it's very hard to tell personality types due to the language barrier). I ask..."Why do you want to work for Lenovo?" I would guess that 80% of the responses were along the lines of ... "I am proud of Lenovo for moving beyond the walls of China. I want to be part of this great company who is helping China to become an international business power." Other responses... "I like ThinkPads." "I like Lenovo computers." This is a very open ended question, but the answer I am always looking for and interested in hearing about is the "I want to change China like Lenovo has" answer. The days of international companies only coming to China for unskilled cheap labor are over. Yes, companies do still and will still come here for that. However, more & more companies are coming to China for skilled labor. While still comparatively cheap, these are not factory jobs. These are real world, global, make or break the bottom line jobs. The days of companies hiring locals to manage only their "China branch" are also over. Companies are flocking to China to hire engineers, designers, programmers, business-types; to help & run pieces of their global company. The Chinese working for these companies do not want "boring" jobs. They don't want the "shit" work that westerners don't want to do. They want to get their hands dirty; increase productivity, come up with break-through ideas, release products faster, become the "big boss" and make more money. The one major downside to the "hungry Chinese professional" ... turnover. On average, turnover in China is at about 30%. People here jump from job-to-job, mostly just looking for the bigger paycheck, some looking for more responsibility and some to just try different things. This is scary for companies investing in China, especially when you invest in a lot of training (both on-the-job and curricular). How to get by this? I haven't fully figured it out, but I've been working on it. My team is still new enough that I won't see the turnover itch for another 4 months or so. You can never manage to retain 100% of your employees all of the time, no matter where you are. However, I don't want to be losing 30% of my team come April (new fiscal year begins, yearly bonuses have been awarded). Do you?

How do you manage all of this growth? Is it possible? Well, it must be, but there will surely be a lot of problems. From scandals to failure, they all exist in China. But where don't those things exist? In any country and in any company, those things exist.

So, what did cause that "feeling" on Friday morning? It was the people of Beijing. Seeing them changing this country made me feel good about being in this country with them. Seeing them continue on with some of their traditions made me hope, for them, that they continue to keep this country with thousands and thousands of years of history going along so they can all achieve a little piece of what we in America call "The American Dream." Have a job, have a family, have a home. I think anywhere you go in the world, "American" can simply be replaced.

Try this if you come to Beijing

2006-12-04T18:01:00.000+08:00

Friday night consisted of many different types of booze, but this one was by far the most dramatic (most dramatic visually, not in terms of the effect the booze had on me).

Only in China

2006-11-29T21:45:00.000+08:00

Went to dinner with a couple friends tonight. Nothing fancy.

One of the guys asked for some "cheese fries." He asked in Chinese, so to limit the confusion.

Picture says enough.

Doing my part to support the North Korean economy

2006-11-25T21:34:00.000+08:00

This afternoon, I met up with Lina (girl I met Halloween weekend). I decided we would go ice skating over at one of the many malls that dot the Beijing streets. It was pretty funny to walk into the rink and see only Chinese people. Mostly little kids out there having a good time, there were also a lot of figure skaters out there practicing. I saw one little girl, likely 5 or 6, that could be an Olympic hopeful in another 10 years.

This was Lina's first time skating, she was actually pretty good, just a little nervous. I didn't show off my skills too much, didn't want to intimidate her ;-). I was followed around the rink by a little boy who was just learning how to skate. He was pretty funny, I tried to help him a little bit, but I think he was scared of me. Skating around definitely made me feel like playing hockey. I've got to find or get the rest of my needed equipment over here soon, maybe when my brother comes.

A couple friends of mine wanted to meet up for dinner. So, from the rink, it was on to a North Korean restaurant near my apartment. Ray has been talking about it for about a month now, so I figured I'd give it a shot. He's told me about the Saint Bernard he had there a few weeks ago, made me sick to my stomach. He promised he wouldn't order the dog this time around... though I am sitting here wondering about one of the dishes we had.

The atmosphere of the place is pretty much like a typical Chinese restaurant in Beijing, nothing special about it...other than the constant stares, the guys in leather coats keeping track of us & the waitresses wearing some weird North Korean costumes with Kim Jong Il pins on. All of the waitresses there were also very cute. I wonder if they're allowed to date Americans? Doubt it.

The restaurant is owned/run by the North Korean Embassy in Beijing. I am told the girls and other workers there commute back in forth in groups and cannot travel by themselves, must always be with at least one other North Korean.

It was definitely an interesting experience, will go back for sure. The food was really good; still wondering about that one dish though...

T-Day recap

2006-11-24T17:50:00.000+08:00

Thanksgiving was pretty relaxed in China. We headed to Steak & Eggs for our 4:30 dinner reservation. This was good, because I'm used to eating T-day dinner around 4pm. S&E was packed. Paul (the owner) was going nuts (entire cook/wait staff is Chinese, he finally invested in English lessons for them, progress is noticeable). Good meal, lots of wine... lots of Chinese talking going on at the table (since we all brought Chinese dates). It's amazing how Chinese girls create instant friendships with each other. I've noticed it a lot recently, especially at work. The girls just gravitate to each other and become instant friends.

After a couple of hours @ S&E and too much food, it was time to head for some post dinner cocktails...on to Centro in the Kerry Center. We got a table, ordered a couple bottles of wine & just relaxed. After a couple hours, I decided it was time for a cigar. Smoked on a smooth Romeo Y Julieta for about an hour, it was great. The girls wanted to head to Suzie Wongs, so that was the next & last stop for the night. When I got home (around 2am), I decided it was time to start dialing and wishing friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving festivities...in China

2006-11-22T16:58:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow will mark my second holiday in China (Halloween was the first). I've noticed that many of the Chinese think that Thanksgiving is on Saturday, still haven't gotten to the bottom of that one, but I think it's because a lot of people will have "Thanksgiving parties" on Saturday ... although, they don't really understand how Thanksgiving came to be. I failed at giving the team a taste of Thanksgiving...I tried to order lunch delivery from Steak & Eggs too late (Monday). Oh well, I'll give them a taste of American Christmas.

This will be the first Thanksgiving ever, that I've spent away from my parents (awwe). For the past 5 years that I was in Raleigh, NC for Thanksgiving...I've gone to Buffalo, went to NYC once or my aunt & uncle have Thanksgiving at their house & my parents come. This will also be the first Thanksgiving that I won't be out partying the night before (Wednesday night booze fest is a tradition in Buffalo, likely many other cities too). Unfortunately, I can't really take off for the "US holidays" ... so, will be in the office bright & early tomorrow.

However, I will be having Thanksgiving dinner at an "American" restaurant: Steak & Eggs (It's owned by a guy from Canada, close enough). I'm meeting some other American guys there around 5pm tomorrow evening. We're all bring dates (Chinese girls that don't speak English), so they can experience their first Thanksgiving feast.

I don't think there will be much going on here for Thanksgiving, but I'm interested to see how the day goes. I'm sure I'll see a few strange things (maybe some turkeys being slaughtered on a side street in Chaoyang?).

The wonders of VoIP

2006-11-22T11:09:00.000+08:00

I brought my Vonage router from the US to China when I came here (holy sh!+, it's been 3 months already!). However, I failed to remember that I can't just plug "appliances" in to the walls here. That's exactly what I did with my Vonage router, blew it up.

Through the ever-growing guanxi, I managed to finally get the router fixed & got it back last night. Plugged it in & it worked like a charm.

Because I'm feeling a little home sick (really, just a little... I do like it here), I'm posting my number up here for any one who feels like giving me a call... to harass me, ask me questions, just say hello, etc.... 919-342-0730. More times than not, you'll likely get my voice mail though. Amazing that this number connects instantly from the US. In addition, I dial out using US area codes...sweet!

I don't get it!

2006-11-21T18:36:00.000+08:00

Blogger is now accessible from China again. I'm not going to ask questions or wonder, I just hope it stays this way.

New Beatles Album ... "Love"

2006-11-21T14:49:00.001+08:00

help
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

My cousin pointed me to this today (as he was up at 1am procrastinating). You can have a listen to the newly released Beatles album for free.

It's basically a "mix" album, all Beatles. Great stuff, will be an iPod addition.

http://www.thebeatles.com/hearlove/index.php

More pipes blocked in China

2006-11-20T17:06:00.001+08:00

stop
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

Wikipedia is now blocked...again. It was opened up for the last week, but now gone again. Between the blogs & the wikis, this is starting to get annoying.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/11/17/china.internet.ap/index.html

Slight delay moving my blog, will happen at some point this week.

Chinese medicine...yum!

2006-11-17T12:52:00.001+08:00

img00055
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

This past weekend, I came down with a "cold." I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that 99% of the buildings in Beijing (likely, across China even) do not turn their heat on until15 November.

So, all week, I've been in the office sniffling, coughing, blowing my nose..all of the good stuff that goes along with being sick. I've got some over the counter meds from the US, but they don't seem to be working.

So, this morning, my assistant came in with some Chinese medicine. I didn't even ask what the ingredients were, although I was & still am definitely wondering.

She told me I need to take two bottles, three times per day. These things are little glass bottles with foil wrapped tops. Comes with little straws to poke through so you can chug. Kind of looks like the test tubes used for blood samples.

As for the taste...absolutely disgusting. This is by far the worst tasting stuff I have ever had. I can even still recall the taste of the "iron" ... medicine we used to have to take as kids, iron was better than this crap.

So far, no signs of it working, but I'll give it some time & force down another four bottles today... if only I could mix it with some Johnny Walker, hmmm....

Blog on the move

2006-11-15T21:14:00.001+08:00

moving
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

Due to the never ending blocking issues here in China, I'll be moving the blog yet again.

Friend & colleague Esteban (http://steveglas.wordpress.com/) has been gracious enough to provide me space on his server. So, assuming another solution isn't in hand by the weekend, the move will happen prior to Monday, then back to the blogging!

Will keep everyone posted on the new location...www.manninchina.com will forward to the place I end up.

The team

2006-11-10T11:06:00.001+08:00

PB090186
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

Last night I hosted a dinner for my team & 3 colleagues from AU who are here in Beijing to train them. Edgar, China teleweb GM, also joined us.

My team is only 50% built, but it is a strong team! For all, this is their first experience working for an international company.

We had a great dinner & I was "forced" to ganbei (cheers=chug) with everyone at the table at least one time...needless to say, that turned into a lot of beers.

I'm going to learn a lot from this team, hopefully they'll learn a few things from me too...

He shoots...it wide!!

2006-11-09T14:38:00.001+08:00

Colin at shoot out004
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

My cousin plays hockey for the UNC club team. Last week, they had a shoot out vs. Duke during intermission at the Carolina Hurricanes. Usually these slots are reserved for 5-8 year olds skating around in circles, but this is close enough.

Here's a video of my cousin shooting it wide and embarrassing himself in front of thousands of people. My suggestion to him was to just flick the puck up into the stands at his dad & then run the goalie. That's what I would do.

I can't embed the video on the blog, since I'm still "locked out" but here is the link to the video on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6KMA7EvJ0c

North Korea gearing up

2006-11-07T08:34:00.001+08:00

north_korea_map
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

Slowly but surely, North Korea will go through dramatic changes.

Remember a few weeks back, my post about a potential trip to North Korea (which generated quite a stir), well, that trip did happen. No Americans were allowed to go, but some Europeans & Asians did make the trip.

Here's an article covering it... Roger Barret is the guy I spoke to about going on the trip... 2 hours after the "nuke test," he called me to say there would be no US passport holders allowed.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/north-korea-said-to-be-hungry-for/20061105163109990002?cid=774

North Korea will change.

Bottom of the ocean in a bowl

2006-11-04T14:56:00.001+08:00

Seafood-Dalian
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

This picture doesn't do justice in terms of describing what I had for lunch today in Dalian, I found it online.

It basically looked (and tasted) like someone scrapped the bottom of the ocean & put it into a bowl for me to enjoy. I had no rice with the meal to hide the stuff, so I was stuck tasting all of the gross stuff. Thankfully the Hennessey mixed with green tea that I drank last night (ok, drank a lot of) was still in my stomach to mix with the creepy stuff.

Other than the seafood, Dalian is a really cool city. Other than the fact that there are tons of Chinese around, I don't feel like I'm in China.

I've finished up with the head hunters, made some very good progress with them. A couple of contracts to get approved on Monday, some tests to review & hopefully new additions to the team within the next couple of weeks.

Off to do a few interviews now, then I'll have about an hour of sun light left to look around the city & snap some pictures.

First "inner" China trip

2006-11-03T19:21:00.001+08:00

a_team_van
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

I've flown in and out of China from the US a few times now, but today was my first visit to the "local" terminal at the Captial Airport in Beijing.

The first thing I noticed as I was looking out the windows in the terminal is that the planes are huge. No puddle jumpers exist in Beijing (maybe in the less popular/remote cities). I suppose it is due to the massive amount of people in China. My flight was pretty much full.

Next to me, I found what I assumed were first time flyers. Two guys, maybe in their 50s. Thet strapped in tight, read the emergency pamplet about 5 times, front-to-back & looked really nervous when we took off. Maybe this is just their ritual though.

I had my iPod on & plugged into my ears the entire time...was never once asked to turn it off...suprising, but I didn't mind.

After I picked up my bag, is was time to head out for a taxi. In Beijing, you stand in a long line, but the taxis are in a line longer than the eye can see....not in Dalian. I was shocked. I got outside to find at least 100 people in the line ... no taxis! They were coming what seemed to be every 3-5 minutes...not happy. However, a friend of mine in Beijing told me about the airport shuttle. So, I went in, told them where I needed to go & they agreed to take me. The A-Team van, 80RMB and 30 minutes later & I'm at the hotel.

The van looked very similar to the A-Team van, only there were windows along the sides & it was blue. But it did have a similar paint job & a fin on the back of it.

Full day scheduled tomorrow with head-hunters & interviews, hopefully I leave here with some new employees!

In Dalian

2006-11-03T19:10:00.001+08:00

liaoning-s-ow-600x600
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

Officially locked out of Blogger in China

2006-11-02T11:35:00.001+08:00

locks
Originally uploaded by MJM80.

Access to blogspot.com blogs was removed last week, however, I could still access my blogger dashboard & publish. Today, that access is no more. This SUCKS

I will figure out another solution, or end up using a different blog. I'm sure Google will have this fixed soon with those who make the decisions here...right.

For now, I'll use flickr.

Off to Dalian tomorrow for recruiting

Creativity + cheap labor =

2006-10-29T05:40:00.000+08:00

More to come tomorrow...

Sneak peek

2006-10-28T04:55:00.000+08:00

The sabs

2006-10-27T17:52:00.000+08:00

Sabres streak continues...Saturday night, they'll try to break the season opening streak held by the Leafs (they are currently tied - 10-0)

"Hottest tickets in town? Sabres expect season sellout"

I hope Buffalo breaks out the old blue & gold for Saturday night's record-breaking game.

Blogspot (Google's Blogger) blocked in China

2006-10-26T16:37:00.000+08:00

Well, it looks like Google's Blogger is again blocked in China. I was having some issues last night, but thought it was just temporary. I can't view any .blogspot blogs. WONDERFUL.

I think it may have to do with the recent announcement that China will require ALL bloggers to register, with REAL names. Not sure how they'll go about doing this & validating the blogger's identity, but this means all of the major blogging platforms will need to comply & make some changes...hopefully in the very near future.

Read here...

Lenovo Stat causing controversy

2006-10-26T14:32:00.000+08:00

Lenovo Stat, a capability announced by Lenovo & the NBA this week, provides statistical analysis showing which five players prove to be the best combination on the court at any time during the game. I don't follow basketball, at all, but this is pretty cool. I hope a version comes out for the NHL (Lenovo also has its hands in the NHL, with the Carolina Hurricanes).

Lenovo Stat made the homepage of yahoo.com today in the US. This will likely provide some great buzz for Lenovo...people love controversy, especially when it involves some of the best athletes in the world.

"If computers ran the NBA, Shaq would be benched"

Trip cancelled

2006-10-25T20:24:00.000+08:00

The trip to North-East China is cancelled for this week. I think we may have hit the jackpot at a couple colleges in Beijing, we'll see soon enough. If not, trip is back on for next week.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting a review on my experiences recruiting/interviewing/hiring in China.

Happy B Day blue fellas

2006-10-24T19:52:00.000+08:00

I grew up watching the smurfs, it was only today that I realized that my father is only 361 days older than the blue guys.

Smurfs birthday

Thanks DUDE

2006-10-24T19:34:00.000+08:00

So, my ride to and from work sucks. It takes a little over an hour each way. I got hooked up with a driver through a friend of mine here, I was in desperate need since I was given no assistance at all when I arrived in Beijing in terms of how I should get to work, what my options were, etc.... So, the main guy picks me up each morning at 7am, he usually doesn't pick me up from work...one of the other guys in his "circle of drivers" does.

Most of them are pretty good, they take the same way and typically try to drive fast. However, I got stuck with a guy a couple of weeks ago, who seems like he just recently learned how to drive. He takes a "short cut" which actually adds 30 minutes to the ride (I think he takes the short cut to avoid the tolls). He constantly slams on the brakes, doesn't know how to turn...I can go on & on.

Well, as I've mentioned, winter is rapidly approaching Beijing. The evenings these days are hanging around 8-10 C (high 40s/low 50s F). This is not exactly the weather in which you want to drive around with your windows down. Well, tonight, I was stuck with the shitty driver. He took the short cut & had the windows down. I don't know how to say "Please roll up the windows jackass" in Chinese, but I do know how to say "too cold" in Chinese. I tried it...he didn't understand. Tried to motion, he didn't understand. I think he understood, he just didn't care.

He's ten times worse than the worst taxi driver I've had in Beijing. Thanks DUDE.

Preferred Customer

2006-10-23T09:33:00.000+08:00

Just about every morning, I visit the coffee shop just around the corner from Lenovo's R&D campus. I get in around 8am each day, the coffee shop doesn't open until 9am, so that kind of sucks. I'm a "regular" there. They know what I want, so I don't even have to order. Sometimes, I can spot them on the "look out" for me, if I'm not there at my usual time of 9:15am.

The two guys that work there know very little English, but I try to teach them a new word each time I visit. Simple stuff like "cool" & "awesome" ... OK, I throw in some practical words too. They play basketball & they think I do too, because I'm tall. I was brutally honest with them one morning though, and I told them basketball sucks (they had no clue that was a negative comment, because I said it with a smile). I told them I play hockey...the only description in Chinese I could give them was the word for ice. One of these mornings I'll bring my ThinkPad over and show them some NHL action on the SlingBox. I'll try to catch the Sabres (who are 8-0 at the moment).

A cup of "Coffee Americano" runs RMB 19 at this place. That's about $2.40 USD. A bit on the pricey side, especially because it's not a large cup of coffee, they only have one size. But, it's really good coffee. However, last week they started giving me a discount. The first time, it was about RMB 2 (about $.25 USD). Today however, they bumped it to RMB 4 (about $.50 USD). So, I'm now at less than 2 bucks a cup. I think it may be because I am their only customer in the mornings. Also, I think I am their only foreign customer period.

Man, I feel like a VIP today. If I keep teaching them some new words, show them some hockey & pretend to like basketball, I bet I'll get it down to RMB 10 by year's end.

Where I'm going this week

2006-10-22T21:21:00.000+08:00

Later in the week, I'm taking a short trip outside of Beijing, for work. I'm having a rough time finding some key language skills for my team (Japanese & Korean), so it's off to Dalian & somewhere in Jilin province (not sure of the name of the city) to locate the skills. Dalian has a large population of second generation Japanese, as well as some schools that specialize in teach Japanese. Jilin province is home to many Korean immigrants, I'm told many of which come from North Korea.

I'm looking forward to it, but more than anything, I hope I find the skills I need.

Inching closer to North Korea...

Beijing Happy Valley

2006-10-22T20:26:00.000+08:00

I had heard about some amusement parks in Beijing, but had no idea what to expect. Would it compare to places like Six Flags or Cedar Point? I doubted it...I was right.

A few weeks ago, I told a girl (LinLin) that I would take her to Beijing Happy Valley, an amusement park on the west side of Beijing that just opened this year. So, yesterday afternoon, I picked her up (in a taxi, of course) over at the Drama College of Beijing, where she attends (OK, she's 22 ... it's not that young). She is a phenomenal singer, plays some weird Chinese stringed instrument and is an aspiring actress. Her English is about as good as my Chinese...so, I'm sure you could imagine all of the in depth conversations we had throughout the day. I was quite happy though, because we only had to pull out the electronic Chinese/English dictionary one time. However, the more I have to "dummy up" my English over the next year, the more I worry what I'll sound like when I get back to the US. I can't imagine it will be too much different.

Anyway, we arrived to no lines at the ticket counter and as we walked into the gates, it seemed like we were the only ones there. I'm thinking we'd have the freedom to hit the rides within minutes...rather than hours. Boy was I wrong. As we rounded the corner to the first "ride area," I saw the masses.

I forgot to mention, this was the first time LinLin had ever been to an amusement park. She's from north-east China. All I knew was that she would try all of the rides, and wanted to go fast. First up was a roller coaster. This was one of those coasters that hangs from the track, and you ride belly-down, like you're flying. So, after standing in line for about an hour, and getting stared at every other second by the many young Chinese, we were strapped in & ready for the ride. She loved it, and now wanted to hit faster, more exciting rides (not sure if there would be any more).

We did find one ride that topped the coaster. It resembled a huge pendulum. It swayed back & forth, getting faster and higher each time. At the max height, you were just about upside down, then it would drop and swing you across to the other side. I don't think my hand had ever been gripped so hard before. It was thrilling for her, but she was a little queasy afterwards...there wouldn't be a second ride on this one for her. Like in the US, they snap pictures of the riders. I purchased one for LinLin...it was only then that I realized how bald I'm actually getting.

In all, the rides were OK...the atmosphere was very similar to parks in the US, just not as nice. They had the same cheesy games, that are almost impossible to win. The workers at the rides spoke over a loud speaker, trying to get everyone pumped up (I only knew that because people would cheer & clap). I would actually compare the atmosphere at Happy Valley to a state fair, rather than an amusement park in the US. It was a nice place though, and very clean.

It was a fun day at the park and LinLin definitely enjoyed it. It was cool to provide a new experience for her.

A few pictures from the camera phone...

LinLin amused by the mist...

The huge pendulum

Half way through the line for the coaster

Signs winter is coming to Beijing...

2006-10-22T20:15:00.000+08:00

1. Belly shirt season is officially over
2. Winter coat sales (you know, the "real ones") at the Silk Market are booming
3. The kettle corn & yam vendors are starting to appear on the streets
4. The cold seems to be making people grow more impatient, line cutting is increasing
5. The Mongolians are hitting the vodka harder to stay warm
6. The girls in Beijing are starting to appear in their short skirts & black tights (I'm told the Korean girls especially like to dress like this in the winter) ... I'm not complaining
7. It's getting cold

Buffalo Snow Storm - pictures from parents

2006-10-22T20:09:00.000+08:00

Some pictures from my parents...

Buffalo Snow Storm - South Buffalo, NY

This disaster doesn't compare to that of hurricanes such as Katrina or the Tsunami in Asia 2 years ago, but reactions of help seem to have been quick, at least by State Farm Insurance. My dad told me that they showed up to the house the day after the storm to survey the damage. Two days later, the check arrived. That's pretty impressive.

More on the Buffalo, NY snow storm

2006-10-19T09:12:00.000+08:00

Here is a video & some pictures from my friend Ryan in South Buffalo, NY (where I'm from). The video is of a transformer exploding near by...it lit up the sky. He said the noise in the video is much different that the noise he heard...but either way, it was weird.

I spoke to my parents on Sunday, they were still without power, but I think they have it back now. They have a mess to clean up, as does everyone else around Buffalo. My Mom told me that many of the electrical outlets in my Uncle's house caught fire/sparked...leaving the walls scared and black. I can't imagine what a nightmare this must be for him & everyone else in Buffalo.

Buffalo has tons & tons of huge trees that line the city roads. As you drive down side streets in South Buffalo, you can't help but notice how the trees form the resemblance of a tunnel, due to the sheer size of them, as the hang over both sides of the road. It's a shame that many of those trees are now completely ruined and will likely have to be cut down. I'm sure they will be replaced, but how long will it take for them to get back to where they once where...likely 50 years or more.

Flickr stream...

The face of Buffalo has definitely been changed. I moved away from Buffalo about 6 years ago. Each time I go home, I kind of feel like I never left. I think that's mostly because everything seems to look the same, no dramatic changes. I think my next trip home will be quite different. On top of the fact that it will likely be about 9 months since my last visit, with the landscape change in addition, it's going to be a weird feeling.

Holy snow!!!

2006-10-14T04:39:00.000+08:00

My uncle sent me this pic from my dad. I tried to call home, but no answer. I'm assuming power is out. I spoke to my buddy Ryan earlier today on IM, he said it snowed. I didn't think it would be this bad in October!!!

(that's the backyard/garage)

Big Blue moves more into red

2006-10-13T12:23:00.000+08:00

nytimes.com:"I.B.M. Division Moves to China"

This is a smart move by IBM...to succeed in the world of guanxi, the big guns need to be in country. Not only are the majority of their hardware suppliers located in China, but as IBM moves even more towards services, less hardware, they will increase their human capital sourcing from China (as they continue to do in India).

More robots in China

2006-10-11T17:37:00.000+08:00

With the biggest population in the world, short-order cooks may soon be out of a job in China.

"Chinese scientists invent first cooking robot"

Who knows what will get thrown in these things to get cooked up & served...I don't want to know, don't tell me...just let me eat it and if I get sick, I'll know never to eat that orangy, brownish, green thing that was still moving on the dish, again.

The China Internet Saga

2006-10-10T12:58:00.000+08:00

Well, this mystery (and misery) may finally be solved! After 10 days with no internet connection at my apartment, I think today may be the day I can plug back in.

Here's the run down, if you care to be bored...

Day 1 (September 30) - I report that my internet connection is gone, to my real estate guy (William).
Day 2 (October 1) - William calls me and says that I need to pay my phone bill (which had been shut off a week prior). I can pay at ANY bank in China. New process to me, was never told I needed to worry about this, but OK, I'll do it.
Day 3 (October 2) - I go off hunting for a bank that will allow me to pay my phone bill. ALL CLOSED. It's "National Holiday" in China...banks are all closed until Sunday, October 8.
Days 4-8 - I am sick and suffer with no internet at home...wander down to SPR coffee at various points for an hour's worth of catching up
Dav 9 - BANKS ARE OPEN! I wait in line for 2 hours with a number (178) in my hand to pay my phone bill. Guess how much the bill was ......... $6USD !!! I can't believe my phone (and, supposedly my internet) were both shut off for six bucks.

I go home to test the phone...WORKS ... internet ... WTF, not working - William gets another call

Day 10 - William calls me to tell me that the internet has been out in my apartment complex (didn't say for how long). He then tells me that it's out in Block D ... jackass, I'm in Block A. So, after calling his BS on that one, he finally tells me that the landlord "forgot" to pay the internet bill and will do it tomorrow (today). Guess what landlord, I'm going to "forget" to transfer the rent to you on time...and maybe not give you 100% of it!

So, after being BS'd by everyone for 10 days, my internet should finally be working when I get home tonight. To ensure this doesn't happen again, I told William that if it happens again, I will deduct 50% of the rent for that month. So, the landlord actually paid for one year of internet service, so this doesn't happen again. I doubt it was because of my threat, but I like to think that it is, because money talks more here than anywhere else I've seen.

Lesson learned...the phone is not connected to the internet (for me anyway) & money is connected to getting people to do (or not to do) things in China.

PS...don't forget to pay the $6 phone bill next month.

North Korea...to go or not to go?

2006-10-09T12:25:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, a couple of friends here in Beijing told me about a trip to North Korea, planned for the last weekend in October. Basically, it's a golf/sight-seeing trip with a "business" twist.

As soon as I heard about it I immediately said "I'm in." How many chances does one get to go to North Korea? I'm not afraid to go...what's the worst that could happen? Well, I guess there are plenty of bad things that could happen to a US citizen in North Korea...but what are the chances of them happening?

So, I started looking into it this morning. My main concern was the possibility of getting a "North Korean" stamp on my passport. Would US Customs say "WTF were you doing there? Get the hell out of the US and never come back?" I doubt it, but hey, who knows with the political mess going on there. I couldn't get an answer to this today, the US Embassy in Beijing is closed today...Columbus Day. (Kev (brother) left some info. in the comments section, thanks Kev!)

I then called the group in Beijing that is organizing this. They needed some info. from me and then called me back just a little bit ago with the news.... Turns out, North Korea had their first nuclear test today and it was "successful." Well, politically, the shit will likely hit the fan late tonight (US morning). So, these guys aren't too keen on taking some Americans with them this time around. Four guys, including myself got the rejection based on today's news. DAMN!

But, not to worry...they are planning another trip in May 2007. So, assuming that North Korea doesn't completely fall apart or the US and/or any other countries don't invade it by or before May 2007...I'm definitely in for the next trip.

Why would I or should I not go?

You can see the 4.2 quake it caused recorded here...

Here's the info. I originally received...

"A unique opportunity to combine business and pleasure in Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), often referred to as N. Korea - a combination of business, golf and sightseeing!
One full day golf
A full one-day Golf Challenge on the par-72 Taesong Golf Course (beside Lake Taesong). Prizes will be offered, and a percentage of the money raised will be donated to the Korea Sports Fund.
One full day of business

A seminar on Monday morning covering:
Business overview of N. Korea economy, foreign trade policy, investment climate and environment
General understanding of business and trade opportunities
Overview of investment policy and laws governing foreign and JV enterprises
Meetings (by arrangement), or business-related industrial and factory tour on Monday afternoon.
Plus: Monday evening Reception with members of the Pyongyang business community in attendance."

Being disconnected sucks, so does being sick

2006-10-06T14:55:00.000+08:00

Well, I'm on day 6 with no internet and phone and it completely sucks. I tried a conference call from SPR coffee using Skype, didn't even come close to being a 2 way conversation, I could not be heard on the other end. Supposedly the banks will open back up on Sunday and I should be able to pay the bill then, we'll see. The other piece to this puzzle is, how long will it actually take between after I pay the bill and when the service will come back on, God knows.

Today was supposed to be "Lost in Beijing" day, but I caught something nasty on Wednesday. I've been drinking a lot of watermelon juice (never had before, it's very good), because I was told it will help put nutrients back in my body? We'll see...I'm feeling a bit better. So, the Beijing tour will have to wait until a weekend in the future.

Today is "Mid-Autumn Festival" or "Moon Day" ... it's a day for family reunion and eating moon cakes. I haven't seen to many traditional things going on in Beijing these days...maybe because I'm in the more "western" area of the city.

Lost in Beijing

2006-10-04T18:57:00.000+08:00

On Friday, my friend Will and I will embark on a journey around Beijing. Our means of travel...subway, buses & rickshaws. We don't know where we'll end up or what we'll see, but we do know that if at any point we are seriously lost, we simply get in a taxi and tell him where home is.

It should be an interesting journey, with many pictures and stories about what we saw. Stay tuned.

BTW...still no phone or internet connection, so I find myself in SPR coffee again and having to take a call via Skype here for work.

Yes, you've seen me on "CHIPS"

2006-10-04T13:58:00.000+08:00

As I was walking over to the coffee shop yesterday, for my daily feed of the internet, I came upon this accident. Just as in the US, many "rubber-neckers" were checking it out, myself included. Thankfully though, traffic did not come to a hault, as it was on one of the secondary roads

Sometimes this place drives me nuts

2006-10-02T18:19:00.000+08:00

Things operate very differently over on this side of the world...especially when it comes to money, paying bills and buying items with "credit."

My apartment is not a "serviced apartment." A serviced apartment is basically like a hotel...everything included in your night's stay (or year's stay)...electric, water, cleaning, internet, phone, etc.... These items are included in my rent (for the most part), but I have to take care of paying for some of them on my own. Power, gas & water were the only ones I was aware of, until today.

My phone has been turned off for about a week now...yesterday, the internet went. The only way I can fix these things are by calling my agent from CBRE (real estate company). William has to take care of these things for me, since he is the middle-man. He's been "working on" the phone issue for about a week now...no progress. Today I called him and basically snapped. I'm kind of fed up with no one telling me how to get things done around here. So, today he tells me my internet is turned off because I haven't paid my phone bill...weird, I don't have a DSL modem. To fix this problem, I have to go to a bank, any bank, and tell them I want to pay. Great, easy enough...well, its "October holiday" here, banks are closed until Thursday. WONDERFUL.

So, here I am back in SPR coffee using the free wireless.

Not all was lost though...as I was out today looking for a bank to fix my communication issues, some random guy started talking to me. I wasn't really in a mood, but I gave him a chance. Usually these random people only want one of two things...1) practice their English or 2) sell you something. Turns out, he's an art professor at a university here in Beijing. He's also quite an accomplished artist. (OK, he wanted to sell me something, but he was a nice guy.)

He asked me if I wanted to see his work...OK, why not, maybe it will cheer me up. So, we wandered back into an alley and into his little studio. It was awesome! Mostly portraits. This guy is really a talented artist.

I'm not that into art, but I decided to buy one of his pieces. So, here's a pic of my first piece of art purchased in China. I'll write up an explanation about it another time.

F'ing hilarious

2006-09-28T10:13:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Hazen for passing this one along. I'm going to see if I can teach one of the little begger kids here to dance like this.

Worst online survey ever...RED HERRING

2006-09-28T08:57:00.000+08:00

I received an email earlier this week from Red Herring. One of those massive mailings from the "Co-Chief Operating Officer," Daniel Essindi. It was announcing a new forum that Red Herring is launching called, "INNOVATION." How original.

Quoted from the email...

"Red Herring is launching "INNOVATION" an exclusive forum where the innovators covered in Red Herring magazine will meet to share ideas and to echange notes face to face."
[notice the spelling error "echange"]

I thought, OK... I'll check out the survey. Maybe they will provide some more info. on what this thing is all about. Ask me questions about what I'd want to get out of such a forum, who I would most like to participate in the forum, ask me what type of opportunities or partnerships I may want to make. Wrong. Here's what they asked...

"Would you spend more than $7,000 to participate in this gathering?"

Hell no. For an event where executives will talk about "Innovation" & likely not share anything useful. What's the point of the forum, please Red Herring, share that information before you ask someone if they would spend MORE than $7,000 to attend.

They don't even have anything about this on their homepage or in the "Events" section of their website. I understand this thing may not be baked yet, but at least have some idea of what the goals of this forum would be.

Check out the survey yourself if you'd like...

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?A=148971658E19193

Irish comedy

2006-09-26T21:47:00.001+08:00

Thanks to RYAN for sending me this one

Great quote...something to live by

2006-09-26T13:18:00.000+08:00

My brother sent me this quote last month, as I was beginning my journey to China. It's a quote from the Marines, so I'm sure they all learn it & many likely try to live by it (they must, if they get shipped out).

It's something I am definetly living by over here in China.

"Unhappiness does not arise from the way things are but rather from a difference in the way things are and the way we believe they should be. Comfort is an illusion. A false security bred from familiar things and familiar ways. It narrows the mind. Weakens the body. And robs the soul of spirit and determination..."
(last line is "Comfort is neither welcome nor tolerated here.")

I've never been one to get home sick...not that I don't miss home (my family, friends and the things I'm "comfortable" with), but when you're out of that comfort zone, you can't just sit back, hide and think about how you wish things were...you have to deal with it, take advantage of it & learn.

Want some Panda?

2006-09-24T12:35:00.000+08:00

"Man bites panda in Beijing zoo as retribution"

HILARIOUS...wish I could have seen that.

Robots in China

2006-09-24T12:21:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Jim for passing this blog entry on the "Chinese Beauty Robot" over to me.

Does China really need robots to dance, bow & greet people? In place with 1.4 billion people, I think not. Although, robots are cool (I had a cool when when I was a kid, but my brother and sister broke it). So, if nothing else than to make an impression and show that China can be "high-tech", then OK.

But back to my question...in a country where you can find a person for any job and typically, people only do one specific job, why are robots needed? When you can walk down the street and see 50 guys planting 25 plants...when you can look at a construction site and see one guy with a screw driver, one with a hammer and one with the wrench (not one person with all 3 tools)...why robots?

I'm just wondering if China plans to increase its already massive population with robots walking around the cities. But hey, maybe they can give the massages in the WCs, that would be a little less creepy, but still creepy.

Traffic from Iraq?

2006-09-24T12:08:00.000+08:00

It's not visible in google analytics. My brother, a US Marine in Iraq, visits my blog periodically. I know, because he references topics in emails to me. However, the little orange dot does not appear in google analytic's "Geo Map Overlay."

I'm assuming then, that the military bases in Iraq (and likely elsewhere around the world) don't use in-country IT infrastructure. That's likely not possible in Iraq anyway, since if it even exists these days, it's likely pretty crappy. But, if the military uses some US IT infrastructure (satellites likely), wouldn't traffic still show up? I guess not, since it's not. Maybe they don't want website and/or blog owners around the world to know that there are US military forces in Baghdad.

DVD? ... No. ... Sex DVD? ... No.

2006-09-23T19:13:00.000+08:00

I took a walk late this afternoon over to the big electronics shopping center near my apartment. I knew I'd get heckled here & there, but didn't think it would get as bad as it did. On a typical day of walking around the Chaoyang area, you'll get asked if you want "DVD" at least once or twice. Well, today, in the 2 block area I was walking, I was asked 29 times if I wanted to buy DVDs. Granted, some of these geniuses asked me twice (once on the way into the building & once on the way out)...a good salesmen never gives up, right?

I even had some women holding their little babies asking me..."you want DVD?" (the kids, with their "ass pants" on ... ass pants are basically pants or shorts with the seat cut open...the only explanation I can provide here is that it saves on diaper costs, but likely not good for the environment).

Usually (as the Chinese pronounce... u-u-lee) they give up after one wave of the hand, shake of the head or a simple "bu" (no). Tonight, 80% of them tried a second time. "DVD?" was quickly followed by "Sex DVD!?" ... yeah, like I want to buy your cheap porn.

So, after all of the excitement, I figured I'd contribute to one of the rickshaw guys. He didn't know what he was getting himself into when he decided he'd peddle me along for a couple of blocks...

I took it easy last night, but it's on to a party at Suzie Wong's tonight...should be interesting.

Squatters!

2006-09-22T17:49:00.000+08:00

I have yet to attempt "squatting" and I will try my best to never have to. I can't see how guys do it. How they don't walk out with stuff all over their pants is beyond me. Plus, I am a bit of a freak about my clothes being wrinkled, so I'd hate the fact that I'd need to go iron my pants when done. I guess since the people here grew up having to always use them, it's natural...kind of like riding a bike, only messy.

Today though, there was a guy who I think is among the elite of squatters. He was "on the squatter" talking on his cell phone! Now, how the hell you do that when you're "on the squatter", is beyond me.

Here's a squatter...

As you can see, there are no "handicap" rails in there...so, you better have some
strong legs, and be able to squat for as long as it takes...

So, a bit of a disgusting post, but there you go.

How does communication work in China?

2006-09-21T18:57:00.000+08:00

I'm having a hard time figuring this one out. What I've experienced thus far is that
usually, when you ask for something, after a few times, you get it, after a while. There is not typically any communication between the time the person actually agrees to do something and when you get the result (basically, they don't tell you that they agree that they'll get or do it). This isn't always the case, but I'm finding it to be the majority of the time.

How am I addressing this? I'm trying to balance it. I don't want to be a complete
pain in the ass and constantly ask for things and for updates, etc... But, sometimes
I have to be, otherwise it just doesn't happen. Sometimes, if it's not something
really important (like ordering a refrigerator for the office), I just let it slide. Asked once, it was acknowledged, 2 weeks and counting, no fridge. I'm going to wait this one out though. I'm also going to try a few other experiments like this. I need to see what it takes to get things done, and more important, provide some sort of motivation for things to get done...quicker.

Could all of this just be due to the fact that I'm a foreigner who can't properly
communicate here because I don't know the language? Or maybe because I have not accomplished enough guanxi yet? I'm not sure. People are always on their cell phones..talking, text messaging. Outside of work, text messaging is one of the favorites pastimes here, especially with the girls you meet. So, I don't think there is a lack of communication overall...but seems to be in the workplace.

More digging needed on this one...

Bikes everywhere!

2006-09-19T17:30:00.000+08:00

I'm not sure how many bikes there are in china, but I bet there are more than cars. Most are very old, beat up bikes. As long as it works, people don't seem to care. Plus, if you're peddling around on a new bike, it is likely to be someone else's bike soon enough. Tons of bike repair guys line the streets...fixing/replacing tires, greasing chains, selling locks.

It's estimated that there will be 3 million cars on the roads, sidewalks, grassy areas (they driver anywhere) of Beijing by 2008. I also read today that Beijing is going to prohibit all personal vehicles from being on the roads of Beijing during the 2008 Olympics. However, those people who do own vehicles will have free access to public transportation during that time. This is a good move by Beijing officials. Traffic here is already a mess, hopefully they will see an improvement with this move during the games.

Came across this article on nytimes.com....in the Netherlands, most people ride bikes. Only, they likely aren't covered in dirt or bruised from car bumpers like the people of China. They also pay big money for bikes there, that will likely never happen in China.

Friday in Beijing, take a look

2006-09-15T18:02:00.000+08:00

Here are some pictures of Friday evening in Beijing...

"Getting ready to peddle my ass off"

"Just a little cat nap before I go party it up"

"I'm sleeping too, but you can only see my toes"

"Bicycle races!!"

"What a mess...don't worry, the guy in the blue hat will fix it!"

"No fruit for you!"