black musing sheep 在上[shag-Hai]海

Moving on to Haumau.org

2008-04-24T13:16:00.001+08:00

Moving on to Haumau.org
It's strange that 5 years had pass by so fast. 5 years in Shanghai. 5 years of growth and periods of stagnant decadent living. I curse the internet. I scorn the zebra crossings here which don't make sense. I marvel at the speed of change here in Shanghai.I had also sorta THIONGLIZATION in the process. After all, when you are in Rome, Live like the Romans.But strange enough, the discontent somehow become a liking for the country. And also great respect for the government, but distaste as the pyramid of authority breaks down to the lower ground field work. Many good bills cannot be brought forward due to the poor obedience from the bottom. Its a hard work and sadly, its back to the situation where many people close one eye till the lightning strucks down and kill the chickens for the monkeysMovin on, I decided not to update this blog. I have move on to Haumau, a co-join effort with my brother who is residing in Singapore. Though most probably he will not write, and I will not too, its better tha nothing. Move on and click here, should you want to read on further dun meant anything ramblings.

A day at Shanghai Botanical Gardens

2008-04-24T13:06:00.001+08:00

One of those weekends where everyone is together in Shanghai, and we can take a breather. We went to Shanghai Botanical Gardens for a little relaxation and a little walk walk. Shanghai Botanical Gardens is located outside of the city at Xuhui District. We were there for like 2 hours, went a little too late. Jojo was perhaps rather unhappy that we went so late, but te good thing is that he managed to take some good pictures.

It was pretty congested in the park, with families and groups of friends taking pictures around. We avoided the ground, enjoyed the many tulips found in the garden, went a little oooh-aaah when we saw some sakura and blossoms. There were some hobbyists flying kite in some areas of the park, and some doing their little BBQ with the much-loved yang-rou-chuan (羊肉串).

Went off around 6 in the evening. Push ourselves off to this Malaysian Restraunt called Sakura in the city. Good food, a little pricy. Along the way, I was sharing a cab with Yida and Caihui. The taxi driver who took us there kept talking to us. Reason: fatigue. He was a hell driver, swearing and cursing throughout the trip as if the road only belonged to him. Occasionally, doing a couple of unnecessary and daring angry road overtaking. We smell the tyre burning, apparently he did some damages to his gear. Bad luck for us, but we arrived to whereever we want safe and sound.

We don't do much nowadays. With most of them working, and some of us never in town, Mahjong at night is just what we do nowadays. This trip happened 3 weeks ago during a shiny sunday. And yes, it is still damp and cold here in Shanghai. Where is the sun?!

Becoming a Sonographer with a Medical Career Training

2008-04-13T22:26:00.006+08:00

What does it take to have your career started off in a medical field? One must take note that it is not always about being a doctor in order to pursue a career with medicine. Take for example, if one is interested to be come a sonographer, one needs to attend education in ultrasound schools.

Also known as Ultrasonographer, Ultrasound Technologist, Ultrasound Tech, Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, or an ultrasound technician, who uses special medical equipments to transmit ultra sound waves to the patient's body parts in order to help doctors collect information for treatments.

It has good prospectives, offering anyone interested in jobs related to the medical field to further their specialties upon. Fudan University, Shanghai, currently offers good medical practices as an education choice. I mean, I live in Shanghai, and I am currently studying there. I know Fudan University is trying hard in many researches held here in China.

Certain information is provided by Medical Career Training, helping people to find information on various medical careers and training programs. So if you are interested, drop down and take a look what career choices are available in a medical practice environment.

Is the world going crazy for China?

2008-04-09T16:18:00.002+08:00

It's weird. It's not even hilarious. But something is going wild for China.

The Olympics torch that passes through London and Paris were marked with angry mobs trying to entinguish it. The government is so jumpy about the situation here in China that lighters and matches are banned and included in the forbidden lists to be on board any plane. Students who wants to apply for high school here in China needs to go through some physical exams, ending up with some students thinking about the notion of doping to increase a short term burst of performance. Some people here who want to have a slim body are considering about actually eating roundworm eggs which can lead to Anemia. And the Chinese government is digging out serious archives to indicate Tibet will never be seperable from China. What has the world revolve to nowadays?

I find it rather interesting that all eyes are on China. China got the best attention, whether as an economical player, a sports player, and even as a political player. People from all over the world looks at China now. But somehow, some things are rather not so good to look at. The Chinese government understands this.

Amidst all this, it is interesting to know that the Chinese are still prideful of everything, and wishes everything will turn out well. I believe most will be relieved when the Olympics is over in Beijing this coming August. And then, more things will surfaced and be in need to be resolved.

As a foriegner here, I am just glad the weather turns good here in Shanghai, and snicker about the freak weather in Paris as snow runs down a couple of days ago.

Bad Credit Offers

2008-04-07T21:37:00.003+08:00

For those expats out there in China, I am not sure whether you did picked up the habits of spending like mad while you are here. It could be just a delusion of grandeur as an expat, you start spending more. Or it could be the China bug in which everyone is getting rich, everyone spends more syndrome. However, it will be wise to take note of your actions soon and prevent bad credit credit cards situation from happening.

Whether its credit cards, home loans, credit report & scores, auto loans, credit repair or personal loans, Bad Credit Offers provides a free resource of knowledge and information for you to tap on as comparison to what is compatible to your needs.

The site is a great resource to help these consumers get back on their feet financially. Rather than applying for the first offer that comes in the mail, Bad Credit Offers allows visitors to compare dozens of bad credit offers from major providers and find the best offer to fit their needs. And by making payments on time, consumers can rebuild their credit and, perhaps, their financial future. With the current subprime problem, bad credit loans is something you should avoid. Let Bad Credit Offers do the job just for you.

Spring Love in shanghai

2008-04-05T03:14:00.004+08:00

For many of us living near the Equator, we will never understand the meaning of Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.. the four seasons that kept our world revolving. In singapore, we only see a never changing season, sometimes facing ourselves with the monsoon season and that's about it. When I face encounter spring in Shanghai, the first thing that caught my attntion was the fact that flowers bloom before new green leaves were sprouted out.

Spring is an amazing period where new life begins and everything is given a chance to start all over again. We look at this modern city called Shanghai, where friends and strangers sometimes meet. Love in Shanghai, for expats, perhaps carried a different flavour that is different for the locals who reside here. For most, remaining in China for a long period will give them the name of Old bird. Even with that name, Old birds are usually very much an attraction to the locals, especially the Laowais who can throw off a great party, making those lovely ladies out there to fizzle and think that they are endless gold mine to dig upon.

But if you look at the traditional thinking of Asians, we prefer to have a happy marriage, many children, the ideal partner who will not shame or dishonour the family, a secure mindeset that there will always be enough bread and shelter for the family.

That is so. But even so, Asian expats tend to have the mentality that Party is the word while based overseas. Many are skeptical are finding locals and thinking something will work it out. If we look at it in another way, even the locals have different mindset about love and marriage compared to overseas Asians. Chinese always feel that their partner should always be able to afford a house, have status before marriage proposal can begin. Here in Shanghai, people only marry when the guy can afford a house, have a car or something. But in Singapore, we tend to think that owning a house might perhaps take 10-20 years before it is rightfully considered as personal belonging. The one step reach the sky concept perhaps do not seem possibly ideal, and because of this cultural difference, Singaporeans always feel that Mainland Chinese girls are Xiao-long-nvu in many sense, taiji and martial art mistress who manipulate the worlds out of you

Despite this, love is still a special thing. We cannot say that things do not work out in diffeent places and different times for the right people meeting each other. Spring is here. Love is in the air, who knows what one can find after all?

Images: Images are not originally posted on this site. They were taken online through Baidu.com

Where can the Chinese find love?

2008-04-05T02:33:00.004+08:00

In current China, many young people choose to put aside the notion of romance for the bigger picture in career building. How they go about doing it, they might choose a couple of choices: some might continue to persue a better degree in order to receive a masters or a doctorate, some might find means to jump to a good company and continue jumping till they meet what they want in their pyramid of life, while some might choose a different path in accordance with the field work set by the government.

But talking about marriage or love, the young generation of Chinese are more realistic in finding their ideal partner. Ladies would prefer to find someone who has prospects in his career, ability to own a house and car with ease, and hold certain status in the society. The men will wish to find a partner who can become a housewife, sweet natured, and look ideal to bring out for functions or gala dinner.

Yet, the young generation of young people in China face a difficult problem in finding their partner. The race to find what they want left them simply a little older than their previous generations of people who is much simpler in thinking. And because of this, with the emergence of the explosion of the internet and a less conservative society, online dating and speed dating become the ideal way for most Chinese to find their future partners.

Trudating.com is an online dating directory where one can find perhaps the ideal platform in which they can find their true love, seeking out perhaps the most intimate moments with their possible partner. It is not just an ordinary free online personals website, where people hopes to find someone who can spend their remaining life with, but rather, it offers advices and articles, and acts as a portal for anyone to find their special partner.

If you do not have the time to matchmake under the influences of your parents, as you have to spend so much going to different places globally to do businesses, perhaps it is time to slow down and take a look at what you want in life. Do you want to remain single forever? Do you wish to miss the chance and regret that perhaps the special one is somewhere out there?

In fact, here in China, with 50 over different ethinic races in such a large country, many are actually open minded and perhaps wishes for an exotic encounter. A friend of mine, who came to Shanghai to study, is now happily married to a lovely Korean lady. They are now happily residing in Singapore, contented and assured that it was fate that brought them together in Shanghai. What is amazing about love is that people are more open and vulnerable to accept new things. Online dating is perhaps what many young people do, and Trudating.com want to ensure you know what you can expect from it, and be prepared for the good moments you might encounter, and at the same time preventing yourself from besing hurt online by scams or unwanted dangers. Dating advices are provided to all with a good will.

So, Chinese out there. Let's hope you can find your dream love soon out there. And my advice is, slow down your pace and actually look at another bright side kind of life, and from there you might see the concept of your partner soon.

Qing Ming Festival

2008-04-04T23:21:00.003+08:00

Today is Qing Ming festival. Here in China, the government has made this day an official national holiday. The move was to spread the annual holidays in the country over the month to curb the human traffic congestions during the Spring festival season, May day and National day period. It is a good move, as people can use this period to pay their respects to the dead.

This festival is both the fifth term in the traditional lunar calendar and a festival to hold memorial ceremony for the dead. It is a day in which one expresses one's grief for his lost relatives. People often go to sweep and weed graves with whole family and take a walk in the countryside as well. In Singapore, the Chinese took the time to pay their respects to the dead in cemetries. However, as the need for land is limited, most of the formal burial sites for our ancestors were moveto small areas. Many chose to goes through the respect visiting over a month.

Here in china, people can travel over across the land by train or plane to do the chore. And many chose to do it before the national holiday to avoid the peak traffic congestions, as well as spending perhaps a well worth holiday resting or doing some neat travelling.

So what am I doing here now in Shanghai? I spent the day watching Lost Season I and playing a little bit of mahjong. Luck is good. Won enough to buy 2 packet of tobacco to past time through the night.

Whatever or however things are, we just stay up late as our form to pay our respects to the dead as we gamble through the night.

Who can cure me?!!!

2008-03-27T12:48:00.000+08:00

There's something magical about Tibet.

2008-03-25T14:12:00.004+08:00

There is something unique about Tibet. Whether it is its culture, potential mineral resources, political movement, religion, its recent riot that rocked the world, tourism, Dalai Lama or maybe just its luxurious railway, Tibet always grabs the headline in one news or another.

I was thinking about Tibet yesterday when I missed the bus stop I was suppose to alight, ended had to walk 20 minutes back to my destination at Siping Road. Told you, there's something about Tibet that makes one obsessive or just pure OOh-Ahh about Tibet.

When I heard about Tibet again, It was on a BBC Broadcast. What caught my attention was an interview with Yangrui from CCTV with BBC. It was the first time I came to understand why it's so difficult to accept the dry humour of the Brits. It's filled with sarcasm, and in the right mind, any Brit can seriously make you rather shameful and embarrass at the wrong time and wrong place. Yangrui, a perhaps politically cheerful, and hopes the best for his mother land journalist, was playing too much Tai-chi with the BBC fat lady. Fat lady asked what's on Tibet, maybe due to bad traffic in the air and lots of noises, Rui replies back in regard to Taiwan and Chen Shui Bian, when he should know that the program was specifically based on the current situation in Tibet. After Bishing and Boshing around, Rui's final answer to the situation in Tibet was "I don't know". It was rather hilarious, the issue covered by the BBC on China, as they managed to find all sorts or personals to talk over the phone globally, only to be given remarks that makes one wanna hide in the closet. Poor Mitch, our dear American friend in China, who grumbled and whined about the poor traffic, the poor conditions in China, the poor pollution that can possibly clogged any Olympians, only to be replied Hey look! It's not just China, its as bad in any city around the world, even American ones or something like that.

And seriously, there's something magical about Tibet. When news broke out there's something happening in Tibet again, everybody points their finger to China again. Maybe because history was always a karma. What you did once, will always come back to you, so everyone suspected China to be the accused and Tibet the victim again(1959 March 10). We see clips released by CCTV, and clips released by foreigners in Tibet, without realising the full picture of what was going on.

Surprisingly, as more information was collected, we eventually found out that perhaps the Free Tibet movement was too collaborated to be the Accused's verdict. In various of the world, China embassies were targeted and attacked spontaneously within the same period of time. And Tadah! The killings in Lhasa was done by the locals targetting Han Chinese and their properties. Now now, we have to scratch our heads now as foreigners who listens to CNN and BBC too much. Why in the first do we doubt the PRC? Why did we never frown upon the Tibet in the first place? Told you, there's something magical about Tibet. Hoho.

Nah, CNN and BBC just suck actually. They can go join Hollywood or Bollywood if they want to.

There's something magical about Tibet. Maybe our dear Dalai googled something on Cultural Genocide and found this:

Cultural genocide is subtler than physical genocide -- its tools are less obvious. So now China can extend its dilution of Tibetan culture into cyberspace with expert assistance. Google has agreed to filter out every aspect of Tibetan life that the Chinese government finds offensive, leaving only propaganda, misrepresentations, and outright lies about Tibet and Tibetans. It's amazing. The Tibetan people spent thousands of years developing their history and culture, and Google managed to make it disappear in little more than a year with only a few algorithms.

But should China really face charges? Or perhaps Dalai cannot see any possible changes for his beloved Tibet this lfietime?

One thing for sure, China holds a iron fist in regard to the developments in Tibet. The comfortable housing program brought forth last year, was another chagrined moment for Tibetians. But we cannot oppose the efforts the PRC tries to improve the situation in Tibet.

This dog is one of the most expensive dogs in China right now. 1 Million RMB?

Railroad to Tibet here in China is comfortable and full of scenic landscapes?

This Thiongster Mineral Water is expensive as Evian.

We can say that every action the PRC do is to improve the sitaution in Tibet. It's a magical place! The only problem PRC is facing is somehow like what USA is facing on the Afs problem. Afs chases out the Sovs, but left Afs so bad a rubble place to live in the Afs have the Talis to disturb us eventually. PRC does it the other way round. PRC does no such thing though. Its just something of what the PRC chants so much about nowadays. Intangible heritage. You go chant so much and preech so much about it, but it's so hard to impose it down especially when Tibet do not belong to Tibet, so how to determine something of value when something of value is determined by someone else?

There's something magical about Tibet. Still, the actions carried out in Tibet is shameful. The actions carried out all over the world by Tibetians are shameful. And our Dalai should start using Baidu.com instead of Google, that way the PRC will maybe give a chance for a change and talk to him.

The Ah-gua with a heart two size smaller

2008-03-24T20:36:00.001+08:00

Patient: I have a heart that has malfunctioned the past 6 months. You see, it has grown smaller in the past 6 months, despite much efforts with radiology and constant panicks from the monster that roams at every corner, 911 had been called, experimental threatments had been done,.even to the point as atheist I had cried out to God for help, but everything was a botch. Medically, I am suffering in a way that is beyond hope. I cannot sleep well, I hear noises that seems to be amplified a thousand fold, I even know what I did last summer perfectly.

So, what heart condition is it? Pettiness my friend.

Pettiness is a sickness that grows like wild thorns. It seeps into your life at a rate that is hard to control. You throw this condition into a enviromentally controlled position with all kinds of pesticides to control it, only to find out days later the thorn outgrew you! They actually become immune and you know somehow, something or somebody won eventually.

Pettiness makes you a loud loser where nobody takes pity on you. Rather, they laugh at you as they comfort you. Your nightmares grow, you hear doors thumping like baboons, and you hear Hecate's voices everywhere. Macbeth's condition is what you are suffering. Or rather, put it in the oriental way: Monkey God goes beg Tang-sen:"Master! Please don't preeech anymore! Wah kia liao!"

In fact, Tang-sen did not do anything. The pettiness amplify to such an extent that you grow a distain for anything that happens. Together with thickness of any possible individual being one can be, the pettiness grows to a point of growling. Welcome to my past 6 months, doc.

Who can cure me now?

On a shiny day in Shanghai in the nieghbourhood

2007-12-20T17:55:00.000+08:00

Anytime or anywhere, if there's good sunshine, even the worst kind of camera can take a dirt in shooting some photographs. This pictures are taken in my neighborhood. It was a good day with good sunshine. Such shots are typical photos of alleys in Shanghai, most commonly known as nong-tangs by the locals. When there are good sunlight, people rushes out to dry their clothes. Similarly, locals will try to air the bed rolls to remove moisture and possible fungi attempting to grow in damp cold Shanghai.

The only thing different of this alley from most alleys in Shanghai is that there is a mixture of Spanish Architecture and Shi Ku Men existing together. Still, life goes on at it is, with no differential factor of who own which house as a tone of serenity lies around, where everyone knows each other, despite whether you are Local Chinese or Western, or mixed blood.

The area has a nice local community to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the place. Anyone who walks around the French concession area can guess where this place is?

China has two cities listed as World Most Polluted Places

2007-12-12T02:01:00.000+08:00

Linfen, a city in Shanxi is greatly polluted due to the large amount of pollutants produced from automobiles and burning coals. Even China's State Environmental Protection Agency stated that this is China's worst controlled city in environmental control. With the amount of pollutants being released into the air, at least 3 million people were affected. Time stated that if anyone tries to dry their clothes by hanging them out to dry, most probably you end up with soot concentrated washed clothes. That bad huh, even the locals cannot withstand it by commenting "The place of our is no good". Welcome to China's hell.

Tianying, the other city of hell, produces masses lead and heavy metal pollutants. At least 140,000 people were affected. Tianying being an industrial city, faces difficulties by the government in any efforts to keep it air purified. Industrialists will always vie with the environmentalist on a hold of this piece of land.

At least I am satisfied and contented knowing that Shanghai, another city with killing lungs air, had managed to lower the amount of pollutants this year. Apparently, I have to agree that, there seemed to be less rain and more sunshine with clear blue sky this year compared to last year. Still determined to come to Shanghai. Let it be known there are more things than air to consider. But still, its a great city to live in.

source: Images from Time, original article by Bryan Walsh.

GPS Insight - The State of the Art technology in market

2007-12-12T01:22:00.000+08:00

For those who watched Prison Break Series 2, you will see that there one episode in which a GPS was used. What's a GPS? It's called global position system, where people with this unqiue gadget can locate themselves anywhere in the world and know their surrounding;s latitude.

In Archaeology, GPS is currently being used to ensure a precise location in unit during excavation. For those out there, nowadays, even watches, PDAs and cell phones come equipped with GPS as a niche good to have. But it is most widely used for vehicles on the move, where GPS is installed on individual vehicle to track the distance covered, a clear travel route, and speed check.

GPS Insight vehicle tracking system is one of the better performing hardware system in which GPS Insight has developed for the market. It is a state of the art trackinf product with the only support features in the market to get direct diagnostics of the vehicle's information during travel, such as fault codes, speed, fuel consumption, odometer readings, idle time, etc. Not only that, the tracking system has a very high rate in refreshing of information, giving you the most current information you need.

Whether you are a courier company who does delivery and need to know the total mileage clocked, sales forces who need to meet time and targets, an taxi company who need to keep track on your staffs' performances and speeding ticket, or a logistics company to solve every day's demand on the road urgently, GPS can help keep track for you the essentials to smooth things out on the road. Not only that, one key feature is that you can have a log report history of up to 90 days. Should you need confirmation for solutions, this unique feature helps brainstormed and ease out the problems for you.

Not only that, GPS Insight support wiki for customers. There will be a help guide in which customers can find the ideal information to solve things they met. You can meet with users and discuss matters. At the same time, the wiki provides vital information users share with one another. It is not just you using it anymore. Not the you factor, but rather the community factor. GPS Insight wants to see and grow with you together with the rest of the customers.

Should you wish to keep track of what's going on in the market, the latest news in GPS evolvement, GPS Insight also has created a Blog for GPS vehicle tracking. Keep yourself update with the latest trends and movement. Knowledge is power. Be there to tap upon it. Not only that, you will always be aware of the partners GPS Insight worked with to give you the best support. The blogs give you the most update possible for your needs.

Proven. Get from GPS Insight now.

People who has used GPS:

Arizona Department of Transportation, 12/3/2007

This is all great stuff and EXACTLY what we’ve been waiting all these years for!
– John Wakefield, Arizona Department of Transportation

Lawncut Landscape, 10/1/2007

Hi Alissa,
I am so thankful to you guys for this amazing system. I have shown a few of my peers it capabilities and the response is the same, I must have it. Trent in tech support has also been awesome. I’ll be in touch within a week or so. Thanks again for an absolutely amazing product.
Ps. Its pretty empowering knowing where your crews are!!!!
Regards,
Eddie

Goldenaire, 9/24/2007

We are very happy with the system.
Your tech support is awesome!
Thanks,
John

Happy Hanukkah from Shanghai, and what we cook for the night, and some not so cool bitchings.

2007-12-11T05:36:00.000+08:00

Nope, I am not a Jew, I just happened to pass by a house in my neighbourhood. Just beside this neighbour's door is a window in which a simple A4 size paper with a "Happy Hanukkah" was written and pasted on it, and kid drawings of symbols in crayons and colour pencils show a kind of warmth in a lack of festivals Shanghai. Yes, you can find parties every where in town, but festivals celebrated by families are really limited.

You can find about more about Hanukkah from here, and here.

So all the kids start to pop out. You got the leader, who roller blades and guide the rest of the kids around the alley in my neighbourhood. I was rather too shy to take nay photographs of them. This is a family with many kids, mix-blood origin of Chinese and Jewish ethinicity.

One of Neighbours, another Lao Wai-s, has just put up the Christmas Wreath on the door of her house. The house was a really well refurbished Villa inside the alley where I stay. The renovation has brought back a distinct Spanish baraqoue look to the architecture of the house.

It was a good day in which you can see the sunshine and a little bluish sky. Auntie Liew and I went to the market to buy off supplies for the week, or rather, food to put into our mouths. We end up spending 74 RMB on:

potatoes,
tomatoes,
rice 2.5kg,
chicken breast meat,
onions,
snacks,
peanut butter,
and some other things I cannot remember.

Basically, with the rise on petrol and the sudden inflation, one cannot buy much at all. :/

Later night time, this is what we cooked and what we ate:

1. Seafood Tomato Soup
2. Potato Stew
3. Chicken Paste Dumplings.

Coupled rice, our typical Asian staple food.

How we prepare it:

Seafood Tomato Soup

Everything throw in after water boils up.

Prawn Dumplings x 6,
Meat balls x6 ,
Xiao Bai Cai x2 ,
Onion x 1, mashed
Garlic x1 - mashed

Potato Stew

This is harder work.

Potato x 2 -3 [ cut them out into cubes ]
Ham 100 grams [ more if you like something meaty ]
Large Brown Onions [ cubed, those sweet onions ]
Xiang Cai
Garlic x1

You do the usual, golden the onions, garlic aroma thingy come out and throw in the ham and potatoes along the way. Add water. Keep mashing the potatoes occasionally and watch them with like Sauron's Eye from Lord of the Rings, just in case you didn't and burnt the stew. Keep mashing and adding water occasionally in small bits to create that thick and smooth stew.

Season with salt, sugar, and any other seasoning as you fit to your own tasting.

Chicken Paste Dumplings

This one is a little tricky.

Chicken breast meat x1
ginger and da cong paste or soup water
salt, sugar, soy sauce, seasoning you think you will like

The chicken breast meat was cut and minced and really chop chop chop continuously till you get something really pasty looking. It doesn't really look appealing and all. Next you need to add the ginger and dacong paste.. Just a little together with the chicken paste. Stir and mix the paste and chicken together till you think they mix well. Next add a little of cooking oil maybe one teaspoon to the mixture and stir again till well mixed. Lastly, add one egg into the mixture and stir again till thickened. Put into the fridge to harden.

Next you need to prepare and boil some water. Take out the chicken mixture when water is ready. Take a spoon, slowly scoop out the chicken paste mixture and make the shape look like some dumplings and drop into the boiling water. Keep doing it till you run out of the mixture. Let the dumplings cook till ready.

Take them out and cool while you prepare the finale sauce. Using some soup from our tomato soup, we take out a few spoonfuls and add heat it up. After which we add in the remaining ginger sauce and dacong sauce and simmer with salt, sugar, and thickening powder. We pour it on top of the Dumplings and Viola.

Dinner and today would have been superb if not for the fact I dislike my housemate totally. Maybe it's her, maybe its me. It all came from a series of events in which lead to the dislike, the disgusts and give up feeling.

Few months back, when we decided to move house, just auntie liew and I, somehow end up with this new monster who resides with us currently. A couple and a monster makes up a lightbulb and a couple. Suddenly, A couple and a lightbulb plus another equal to "shit i need to find a 3 room apartment". Its really hard enough to find an apartment in the city, of which 3 room apartment that is cheap, you don';t even need to think further. And the funny part is, everyone just want to pay 900rmb for a room, which is totally impossible in Shanghai city, heart of the city, somewhere in the middle of Line 1 metro. After being stubborn and going through a series and hack and tear to find the desired housing, it came back to square 2: monster lightbulb and couple.

At that time, the search for an apartment ended up halfway for me. I went to Northern China with a Chinese sworn brother. The trip was good. You go to somewhere where you don't have electricity, no bathing amenities, simple life with daily sunshine and starry nights, with nothing to worry about cept for the hundreds of mosquitoes during the night, it was a good trip at a period in which i need to escape from lack of money. Every meal was well-fed with every meal at least enough Chinese White wine to make you feel like shit. It could have been the wine that start it all. When I heard from a long distance call from Auntie Liew on her hardship in finding a 2 room apartment at a good deal, where 2 of us and a monster will be satisfied, how she ended up finding the ideal apartment alone on a rainy day while the monster goes about doing her own thing, and the fucking fact in which an apartment was found but we have to pay so much more as a couple, I sort of lose my coolness about the whole damn thing living with a lightbulb.

Okay, so how was was the rental for a 2 room apartment? 3200 rmb. Some of you foreigner might have thought as dirt cheap or reasonable. Apparently, 3 of us are south east asians, who don;t really want to depends on our parents for money, and we don't really have too much to load off or jerk off every month. So when I heard the monster came along and paid 1300rmb a month for her room, and we need to pay 1900 rmb a month for ours, I grew fucking off by her standards of democracy and fairness. I was in Hei Long Jiang that period. Away and cannot stop any decisions, and knowing Auntie Liew already looked through and had a hard time FINDING a two room apartment, i resented and gave in.

So when I was back in Shanghai, I was feeling like shit about the whole thing. Even during the moving house period a lot of pattern choot power come out. The Fat monster, maybe knowing she got so little things and maybe because she cannot moved so many things at one time, and the fact that the combinged stuffs of auntie liew and I exceeded her by a lot, she decided that when we move, we should call someone to help us carry the load to 2nd floor. good choice for her, she only pay a small sum cause everything from now on she just needs to pay 1/3 of it. auntie liew and I was against the idea, but she insisted and auntie liew being the simple don't want any trouble kind of girl, end up giving in.

You know what's the problem? I don't like someone who is so calculative, thinks so much, so selfish and all. Everything end up I think so much and makes me so wary of her, that I myself picked up so many habits that she has: aka CALCULATIVE but continue playing her game let her eat us

so we moved in, My face very black. I see the house for the first time. Chao Cheebye lor. You know a queen size bed area is how big? thats the size we pay more for and ah fat went off paying lesser. If she really think twice before saying she pay 1300(in the end she say she pay1400) and we end up paying 1900(in the end 1800), I think i won;t be so angry with her. Whats more, she got the television in her room, her room is definitely more refurbished and looks better, better lighting, no cracks at her room. For us, we pay 1800 for a cracked room, poor lighting, and not so nice feeling, you think I will like? In the first place, she was the one who want to bunk in with us, she act so pitiful and wept in auntie liew's face to soften everything her way to living with us, why the fuck she still can so thick and selfish to pay lesser? okay even if you don;t want to pay equal aka 1600 for a room, knowing well better, at least pay something like 1500 and we pay 1700. Your earnings equals we dulan and we in the end have to pay more.

I found a 1500rmb house in which i have a much better liking to. Some more I got a super security guard in front of the house. National WU JING guarding the American Embassy. So why would I want to end up paying more to stay with someone I don't like and in fact I still don't like and getting even more don't like?

Throughout the months, I had been trying to push off the idea that she is not really that bad. But even when I try not to, just by hearing her voice each time make me sian ji buah already. her high pitch voice is not the ideal kind you really want to hear, making her sight rather unbearable. she walks loud, she bangs her fucking door loud, really very loud. that was the first thing that she did that really fuck me upside down. imagine you everyday hear her bang bang bang her door.. she really bangs lor.. but not like ricky martin. then simply, living room and toilet she don't ever wash one.

When i cook, i don't ask her to pay for expense..she eat she eat lor.. but slowly, i think it becomes a habit. she don't say but she let me feel if auntie liew come homes.. she will also be fed.. thats okay actually.. but she only cleans her own bowl after eating.. meaning.. nabehz.. i cook.. i still have to wash the dishes.. clever lor.. you wash your own bowl and spoon.. but knn i spend hours cooking you just eat.. at least clean up the bloody dishes also leh...

i tried a couple of times.. i dunno is i bunk chance give chance or i am just curious how far can it go.. sometimes i cook.. i don't wash.. the best record is any dishes can be left off not washed for up to 4 days. i dunno what to say.. so i cook.. i also need to wash the pans.. and all.. i need to empty the rubbish myself... and everything..the whole thing is okay.. i JUST DUNNO WHY SHE can LEECH!

i believe if i buy anything, including what we use like washing powder, food blah yadayada.. and dun tell her, she will NEVER ask and pay one. But her from her side, anything she calculate, she will always ask us to fork out. That's why auntie liew throw her all the bills to keep track. she so calculative. i think this one suit her best anyway. cannot be eaten. only know how eat people. this one not call monster call what.

back to the months of agony i felt. I tried to think less angry of her. at first, i started thinking she is calculative.. and selfish.. in the end.. my conclusion is this: THICK. basically, although her means are usually calculative.. the main reason is she is thick.. meaning she cannot think one. her head is very thick.. if no one tell her, she will never know. she can continue bang and take advantage of things because it never occured to her to be anything wrong. just like every morning she wakes up she go bang the door. its ok. because she woke up liao. the rest sleeping nevermind.

Thick. similarly. her high pitch loud voice every morning is much better than negaraku and marjula singapura. confirm one i hear liao will wake up.

thick. as long no nails she step on. she comfortable. everything okay one. so if lightbulb is ok. couple not ok. nevermind one.

like this evening, when auntie liew never managed to make it go church with her[again], she asked me too cook rice and prepare the last dish, chicken paste dumplings. Maybe i was lazy, but the first thing that came into my mind and i said to her "that one only know how to eat issit? dunno help issit? "

I just hope this light bulb is not those kind like philips, energy savings and can last 5 years with warranty. i sure confirm will die.

PAP or not, Singaporeans are like frogs in a well.

2007-12-11T05:34:00.000+08:00

This is not a PAP logo, just a logo I happened to see on my neighbourhood, imprinted on a lamp post.

There is something going recently, or at least weeks back that got me troubled. Its about Singapore, about China, about the futures of Singapore, and what our Lao Lee, Mr Lee Kuan Yew said.

Do you believe that our mindset as Singaporeans is stucked up? Do you believe that we feel we are on the top of the world? Despite the fact that most of us are struggling ever for the More money, much better syndrome, despite we know we should start looking ahead to our futures as not stable and know yes, as Singaporeans, we should not be too comfortable in our world like a frog in a well, we still think we are the best, Singapore is comfortable and all.

Lee said this recently. About the fact we need not worry for the next five years, as there is the IR be built in Sentosa, we will be attracting the investments and attention needed globally, about the fact that in Asia, we might face another ups and down crisis again in the coming years. What makes me sad in general is what he said in the end. That we should stand up ourselves and not depend on him and his decisions anymore. Something about his saying, 5 years okay, but 10 years from now, don't come to me for directions, for 10 years from now, either I am dead.. or on some wheel chair and cannot really fuction and decide for Singapore. Does he mean Small Lee, Lee Hsien Long in general, or does he mean generally as Singaporeans as a whole? It's rather disturbing to us Singaporeans.

Singaporeans think that they always don't have freedom to decide. PAP is always in control. There is no political freedom. However, do most Singaporeans feel comfortable in getting out of the well, and see whethe frogs can make love to create better looking frogs outside the well? I dare say most Singaporeans do not dare to venture out. Most of us would prefer to choose to remain in the well and complain, and feel comfortable in the well, and let anything to be decided outside the well by our superb government, PAP. Look, its not how restrictive our government is, its what we as a whole Singaporeans are restricting ourselves with. You change first, don't wait for the garment to change you. Or rather, SPOON FED.

Lao Lee also said something about the fact that yes Singapore can do good and make good decisions. But in consideration to the Super Power China race, Lao admitted that anything Singapore can do good, Panda China can do even better. For those Singaporeans out there who think China is way lay back and still a country bumpkin, let's look at another picture. Supposely, yes, China is a bumpkin, but China is a bumpkin that attract all the foreign investments in, it has become a super manufacturing power. In Dalian, like India, it has attracted foreign outsourcing to be carried out there. There's plenty of highly skilled workers in Dalian meeting the demands of the Knowledge Management empire globally. Never seen Dalian? Its a superb modern city that attracts not just bumpkins, but all powers to it like a magnet.

At least Bumpkins do more than follow the steps of their leaders. CCP gave them directions. And Bumpkins marches out in an army as a whole, driven for success and glory. Follow and at the same time, they improved their livelihood dramatically. Tell you something, most of them earn more than your local Hainanese Chicken Rice Food Stall Vendors now, some of them even richer than the public listed companies' CEOs. Frogs, all you get to eat is only a small picture of what farmers are doing now!

So Singaporeans out there, if you think China is no good, you're wrong. Look at the Chinese in Singapore. Contact Singapore is finding every means to attract foreign talants into our little Island. With the chinglish and weird patterns and habits that seem so Ah-thiongs to us all, they are slowly growing many many and taking up jobs in Singapore. You might feel they are bumpkins, but they are way far more intellectuals than us frogs. In the end, hungry bumpkins might eat up frogs in the well, a metaphor's speaking.

Bad Credit Offers

2007-12-11T05:19:00.000+08:00

The stocks market in China is rebounding. Many Chinese are taking the chance now to actually coup back their losses during the long one and a half months of upheavals. However, this is not a wise choice to overheat the stocks now. China Funds are slowly removing the high percentage of stocks to prevent the over burden which might cause a bubbling stock markets in China to occur. Snowballing of unwanted credits is not the way at all.

With these, the same mind-set should go, for people who play around with bad debts. Bad Debts is like stocks. Bad credits can affect your credit standings and affect any bad credit loans to be successfully carried by loans services.

Bad credit offers is a site helping you with easy loans. Nowadays,loans can be easily carried across within hours from application. Not only that, Bad Credit offers helps those in need of assistance to get that their finance trials back to the normal roads. There are many resources in which you can choose from. Whether you need it for a home loan, Bad Credit Offers wins your trust. With a proper paying system, you can get your tracks back to a decent credit system again.

Let not Bad credits overheat you. Your will. Your way.

Disclosure policy - Shinmiao.blogspot.com

2007-12-11T05:13:00.000+08:00

This policy is valid from 10 December 2007

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

The Bunny tooth Barber Haircut

2007-12-07T12:58:00.000+08:00

I was walking along with Auntie Liew around my area last weekend. Nothing much, just a casual walk to pass time and get familiar with the neighbourhood we are staying in. Located in the heart of Xuhui District, Luwan and Jingan District, our area is basically where the French Concession lies.

We managed to find a couple of grocery stores and mini-marts, wine stores along the way, meaning we need not go to far away Carrefour and Walmarts to do our groceries anymore. Things are a little more expensive in the area, but taking a long trip in cab or metro basically means up-ping the costs anyway.

When we are about to leave, Auntie Liew decided to do her haircut in this Chinese Barber Shop in our district. I seriously have no idea where her courage come from. This barber was attending to her needs. I guess she resented her idea at that moment.

The Barber was serious and rather stressful being taken pictures off. He tried to looked professional. I can feel he was extremely uneasy throughout the 10 minute haircut sesssion.

So I decide to give him free publicity. If anyone is looking for a buck tooth barber in old Shanghai district, here's one for you. You can find him in Anfu road. Haicut costs 10Rmb and shampooing your hair another 10. Have fun messing around his bunny teeth!

Bonjour - Want know more about France?

2007-12-07T12:35:00.000+08:00

France is amazing, France is good? Art flocks and gathers there, Food is appreciated in a higher level there. What's more perhaps? A good blog to guide you about France.

Every country has its secrets. France secrets are best told by someone who knew better. And today I am talking about this blog called "why travel to france". It is a travelogue about France, a France blog that sets out the events in France in a story.

Take for example, I myself whenever I visit a site, I always look for art and culture related materials. One things that caught my mind was the depicted story of a stop over at Mr Potter and his pottery. It shows a beautiful side to which culture trans-cross barriers and have effect on lifestyle of people, and art practices in foreign lands for foreign needs and desires. Its a blog article worth reading.

The blog also highlighted current events to keep an update of what is going on in France. I think for Europeans, this is a good site to track up what's going on in Paris before you hop into your train and poof off to Paris.

More of Kim Seon-gu's Sculpture in Shanghai

2007-12-07T12:33:00.000+08:00

Kim Seon-gu's Sculpture in Shanghai

2007-12-07T12:32:00.000+08:00

Was running with Edgar around my neighbourhood when we come across this exhibition by Kim Seon-gu. His art pieces revolves around speed and power, heroism and idealism. Based upon profound historical and humanistic background, he transforms his enthusism towards classical humanism and persuit of individualistic freedom into a eudology of fortitudinous dedication.

Below are some more of his artworks that I shot. Enjoy and Contemplate.

Travel to Rome end of the year for the perfect family Christmas Celebration

2007-12-07T12:04:00.000+08:00

School holidays are coming soon. And for those in Singapore, I know you kids are going to end their holidays soon. Why not bring them for a last vacation? Or even better, spend you Christmas overseas with your kids.

So, in promoting Christmas, let's go somewhere where Christmas can be felt in full hit. Rome.

Being the central of Christianity beliefs, Rome highlights a series of beautiful churches where mass are held and Christmas can be felt at full blown. You can take a chance to visit one of the seven wonders of the world while you are there. Your kids will love it, the sudden difference in temperature will mean delights for those who never live in a temperate country before.

If you need to find Rome accommodation, fret not. Being a touristic city, Rome offers many different types of accomodations, available to all type of travellers. You can check out Hotel venice if you like. For family travellers, it is best you book a Rome apartment in which your family as a whole can stay together and enjoy a different lifestyle in a new environment.

And if you can afford the time, why not stay for the new year celebration of 2008? I am sure your kids will love to see the fireworks cracking through the air. And if you are worried about accomodation. Let Freereservations do the job for you. You can book online for a discount. At the same time, you know prices while before your travels what you should expect down there. Don't worry about the safety while you are staying there. Rooms are inspected to ensure your well-beingnes. On the street, do take care of your kids and family while you are in foreign land. Stick together like a flock of sheep :)

There is an interactive photogallery allowing you to see what you should be expecting in Rome during your trip.

So what are you waiting for? Book your way to Rome this end of the year!

Lamalera Whale Hunters

2007-12-07T11:59:00.000+08:00

Many would have frown upon the notion of whale killing or even pictures of whale hunting. I even know of some who refuses to eat tuna just because certain fishing methods incurred the deaths of dolphins. In Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara archipelago, about 800 kilometers east of Bali, there is a village called Lamalera, where people have made a living from whaling for hundreds of years.

Hunting Whales and dolphins by hand is always dangerous, sometimes deadly and never pretty. During the hunting season the whale hunters sail out every day to try their luck. If they manage to get close enough to a sperm whale - often over 12 meters long - the harpooner jumps from a small boat onto the back of the victim trying to thrust his hunting weapon into it. If this is done successfully, a chase of several hours begins. In some cases though, the match is won by the whale, which can hit the harpooner fatally with its tail and even sink the boat.

The whale hunters of Lamalera undoubtedly pursue a bloody profession and the agony of the whales caught by them isn't nice to look at, not even in a documentary. But they do it to make a living; they have no choice. The area around the village isn't suitable for farming and keeping up the tradition of their ancestors is a must for these people.

Still, it may not be long that the traditional whale hunting culture of Lamalera - a sustainable economy and lifestyle - will be gone forever. The number of hunters in the village has drastically shrunk in recent years.

quoted from vanhulsenbeek:

Lamalera is a village which is perched on the rocky slopes of an active volcano on the southern coast of the island of Lembata, in Nusa Tenggara Timur in eastern Indonesia. An anonymous Portuguese document of 1624 describes the islanders as hunting whales with harpoons for their oil, and implies that they collected and sold ambergris. This report confirms that whaling took place in the waters of the Suva Sea at least two centuries before the appearance of American and English whaling ships at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

(....) The Christian Mission has been in place in the community for a hundred years, schools have been established and a training workshop teaches carpentry. It is a fishing village in a region where most communities support themselves by agriculture. Lamalera has very little productive land, so the villagers have to fish in order to survive. Their preferred quarry is sperm whale. Catching sperm whale with hand-thrown harpoons from small open boats powered by muscle and palm-leaf sail is no easy task, and the hunt is by no means uneven between man and whale. The tail flukes of a whale can smash the timbers of the boats and many boats are temporarily disabled by their prey. Harpooners have been disabled and killed. But the attraction of the whale is its size. The flesh of the whale (and shark and manta ray) is cut into strips and sun dried in the village. The meat is then carried to small markets where it is bartered with mountain villagers. One strip of dried fish or meat is equivalent to twelve ears of maize, twelve bananas, twelve pieces of dried sweet potatoes, twelve sections of sugar cane, or twelve sirih peppers plus twelve pinang nuts.

Commercial whaling is banned throughout much of the world, but subsistence whaling is permitted by International Whaling Commission regulations in Alaska, the USA, the USSR and Greenland. Indonesia is not, however, a signatory to the IWC. Seven whales were caught in Lamalera in 1987.
source: images from www.vanhulsenbeek.com

Gamblux online casinos

2007-12-07T11:41:00.000+08:00

Looking for online casinos? Gamblux is the niche portal you should look at. Well-designed, it provides on time casino news for players to ensure players which are the best online platforms to tap upon. Whether you are a veteran or a newbie to online casinos, Gamblux has a casino guide that not only get you started, but is as comprehensive as you want it to be.

And if you have no idea how to start your hand rolling, every month, Gamblux will highlight which are some good sites you can try out your luck. Good Luck. Have your hand rolling!

For those who can never figure why my blog is a mess...

2007-12-06T02:55:00.000+08:00

I blog everything.

Reason:

Some things excite me. I paste over, and write about it.

I study a degree in museum management. Hence, posts in regard to culture, heritage, art, etc.

News on China. I reside in China now.

Singapore news. I am Singaporean.

Rubbish online. I need a laugh and I share.

I need posts in between reviews.

I sometimes keep track of school work. Hence, all the funny bits of school work related materials.

So dun get pissed off. It's afterall a general blog.

Winter's cold does not mean you need to go hungry

2007-12-06T02:37:00.000+08:00

Have you ever got yourself into a desperate state in which you have not enough money?

I had. And I am still in such situations now and then.

I arrived in China 3 years ago. There was a period in which I had no money. I overspent. Actually I didn't. I did not expect expenses in Shanghai can be so high. So I was down to only like 30rmb for the whole month. That is 6 Sgd or less than 5USD for your information. I managed to go pass that stage. Of course, that period, I was eating left overs Kimchi from my korean roomates just to make sure I survived the cold winters. Its unbearable. But everything passed by :)

So for those who need emergency, be happy that you need no be like me. Everything's better now. You will not need to starve or be worried when you have cash problems because there is something called payday loans in which you can tap upon.

It goes by this way. You go online and try to secure a loan. It is very efficient and you need wait too long for the money to zip in. Nowadays, all it takes is less than 24 hours for the loans to be approved. Take a look at Cash Advance 1500. It helps give you insight to what you should in order to grab that extra cash for you. Whether you need it to pay your rentals, or just the extra booze, its fast and easier than expected. You can even get loans for special days, like example: woman's day.

Miracle isn't it? Hop on now to Cash Advance Pay day loans 1500 to find out more.

Public Baths of Budapest

2007-12-06T02:31:00.000+08:00

I am amazed when I came across an article in regard to Budapest. Nope, its not about the socialist society, neither is it about the beautiful bridge that out lasted history or hardened times. Its public baths!

Before I read this article, my only knowledge of public baths exist only in India and Rome. I never expect that perhaps other countries or civilization might also smile upon it. The Romans might have started it 2000 years ago, when they were delighted to find hot mineral spring hot waters springing in abundance from the banks of the River Danube, The Knights of St. John used the miedicinal waters in baths to cure the sick. The Turks bring back the glory of public bath culture. However, Hungary has palaces for baths, something we can only marvel upon.

"Never in the field of human bathing was so much offered to so many for so little to return" might a Churchillian mayor say to promote Budapest. I say its rather so. The people who uses it, a culture mix with the architecture, the time locked within a practice, is something very unique for Hungarians. And for travellers, it is a rather good way to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

Talking of which, its gonna be really Shiiok to go in this period. The only thing is, China dun have palaces and public baths together. And my previous encounters with public baths in China, gloomy and rather not appetizing. :/

source: Images from google images

Singaporeans - Hear more gain more from Advertlets now!

2007-12-05T16:13:00.000+08:00

Advertlets is one of the Advertisement Agency I joined when I first started off earning online. Apparently, though Adverlets give their support mainly to Malaysians, Singaporeans do get the thumbs up and caring from them now and then. So far, being the lazy me, I did not really get to cash out from Advertlets yet. But I do have to tell you, they are really generous. Because its a win win situation, you earn they earn, they helped many bloggers to grow with them.

Take for example, you can earn by putting advertisements on your blog using Advertlets. At the same time, you get to write reviews occasionally and get paid. That's not it, for our neighbours, they get more of them fun. They get parties now and then too. Aiyuh, if you so kiasu, then take a flight via AirAsia join their fun whevener you want lor.

Apparently, they are encouraging more bloggers to join. And good money as well for promoting their services. Advertlets wished more people to use 336×280 Rectangle ad format and if you have international traffic (besides Malaysia & Singapore), you may also want to consider installing the 468×60 format.

Join Advertlets now and promote this for them. You get yourself to earn more! :)

2007-12-03T18:54:00.000+08:00

Miss World pageant 2007. Guess who won? Miss China! Zhang Zilin, with her charming smile won this year's event at Sanya, Hainan Island. Miss Angola(right) and Miss Mexico(left) came in second and third. The 57th Miss World Pageant, was the forth time China held such prestigeous event. Now, let take a looka looka at Miss Singapore contestant:

Don't really look very Singaporean. Here's what quoted from the official site about her:

Roshni was born and lives in Singapore, however growing up she travelled a lot to Australia, thereby her upbringing has been influenced by the western culture. Singapore is a multi-racial hub, with sunny weather making the beaches bustle with activity every day. Her proudest moment was receiving her College Diploma, she is currently pursuing a Management degree and works as a model, she also plans to take some advance acting classes. One of her passions is painting, some of which have been sold and others showcased at galleries. Other interests are: dance, theatre, writing, water sports, soccer, contemporary, hip-hop and jazz dance and fire twirling!

okay guys.. stop drooling.. :)

Dig out Cui Bo

2007-12-03T18:52:00.000+08:00

Appetite for something easier to digest in Modern Chinese Contemporary Art? Here's someone for you. Cui Bo. His comical setting depicts life in China. Certain lifestyles had changed over the years, practices gone, habits evolved. His artworks painted a lifestyle that will slowly disappear from Modern China. Still, beliefs and practices linger, no matter how fast a chase for a western-to-be city is taking place.

source: Images from New Chinese Art.

If China Art Scene would do this...

2007-11-20T14:29:00.000+08:00

I read an article recently about Art for Grabs by New Strait Times Malaysia by Lucien de Guise. He is currently a curator of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. There was an event held in The Annexe @ Central Market, in Kuala Lumpur, selling off works of art for as little as RM100. It's hard to believe so, but it sure is a good way to promote awareness and allow the general to collect works of art by local artists.

Participating artists included Ng Sek San, Fathul, Super Sunday, Amir Muhammad, Saiful Razman, Valentine Willie Resource Centre, James Lee, Goh Lee Kwang, Hands Percussion, Mun Kao, Circlesongs, Kurasaraksaksa, Pipit, Soundscape, and many more of Malaysia’s young and talented yet to be digged.

I am sure this will allow the public to build up a general interest for the art scene. Citizens need not think that art is something that need to be paid in the millions to be ever collected at home and be of certain appriciation and aesthetic values.

Because of this, I sometimes wonder whether anyone in China would actually pull off a team of artists, young and energetic, not famous, but with absolute content and reach out to the general public, exposing these new raw talents to the society. Let's not talk about big masters who are earning an international reputation. Why not start off a big scale of art creativity using talents who are unheard of and do the job? In general, the society will welcome the effects of it: collections of art locally produced with stunning modern effects as a way to beautify and sooth the souls of many.

Artists can gain the awareness needed. Come on, those bunch from the 80s did not get the attention they wanted back then. It was brought forth by international know galleries that China exists really good contemporay works of art, letting the world know about their works.

Why not do it locally now for a new generation of talent? Perhaps you might argue that doing so is more for the effects of commercialised art, and many artists out there are crying to be recognised. But doing it cheap, unique, and in mass, might draw the attention needed, allowing more space for art to boom in China, no?

Liz sold for Millions

2007-11-20T14:24:00.000+08:00

Hugh Grant must be grinning now. A beautiful relationship with Elizabeth Taylor made him earn millions recently. How so?

Six years ago, he bought a painting of Liz by Andy Warhol for 3.6 million dollars. Few days ago, he auctioned the painting off with Christie's at US$21 Million dollars.

Absurd isn't it? I'm not sure how this bubbling age for contemporary art is heading, but it sure is rocketing. It might reach a saturation stage, however, looking at it currently, the crazy boom in contemporary art is pulling all the rich men's asset into collecting such creation of the century.

Christie's and Sotheby's, two big players in the auction art market, is attempting to transform and move their sales towards contemporary art. The chinese market is booming with the masterpieces from masters like Yue minjun, Zhang Xiaogang, Kong Weiming and more.

As for Hugh, he must be grinning himself silly now.

Okay so i got myself Facebooked

2007-11-20T14:22:00.000+08:00

Its fun I have to say, but...

I lost patience on it. Too much application waste too much time, and.. too much information disclosed

anyway, at least i found a gone friend. Hi Grace! good to see you doing well in OZ

and. end of chapter for facebook.

like i said. too much time wasted on it.

maybe once in a while log in. but everyday look at it. i might as well go write paid reviews.

and surprisingly, i still see people typing google "cannot find job in singapore" when i check keywords linking into my site. dun fret. you will always find a job somehow. just dun be picky, whoever you are out there.

pls leh. even diploma in information studies also can find job. and the job is not as bad as you think. librarian ok...

Personalise your own Mint Credit Card

2007-11-20T13:41:00.000+08:00

Fancy a credit card in which you can enjoy more benefits as you spend, as well as creating an individual looking and unique card you can show off to your friends? Well, its time you look at Mint credit cards.

Its rather easy. When you sign up with Mint Credit card, you can upload you personalised image, tweak with it until you are satified with the composition and then submit. You will have that special card so different from everyone else after which!

Whats more, you get to enjoy loads of different offers with Mint Card throughout the year. When you travel, Mint card help to book cool holidays offered with its partners and affiliates. What's more the usual 2% charge will not exist during such bookings.

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With a special and custom design card, good travelling deals and a crateful of wine, what more can you expect for a luxurious life?

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The Uglier, the more Famous

2007-11-11T13:33:00.000+08:00

Meet this two boys from China, Huang Yixin and Wei Wei. They started off their fame through Youtube.com in 2005 when they broadcasted a video shot in their dormitory of the song "As Long As You Love Me". You can youtube search "Chinese Backstreet Boys" to find some of their works.

Huang and Wei are students from Guangzhou Academy of Arts. Like their works? Or you just wanna puke from it? People seem to love what they are doing though. From Shanghai Daily, Pan Zhibao, a professor of Chinese culture at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou said that such new mockery and appearance of new age idols defy traditional standards. "The uglier, the more famous."

Well, the boys get what they wanted. Fame and attention.

Japanese Photography exhibition at Shanghai Art Museum

2007-11-11T13:31:00.000+08:00

Shanghai Art Museum will be housing an exhibition on excellent photography of Japanese for the past 90 years. Works by great masters like Ikko Narahara, Onodera Yuki and Shoji Ueda can be scrutinized from now till 26th November 2007. The periods in which japanese photography developed can be divided into 3 periods: 1920-50, 1950-75 and 1975-2007.

The photographs are mainly in black and white, reflecting a complexed and complicated social psychology. Developments of Japanese photography reflects changes in society. Subjects range from the documentary focus of harsh reality of World War II to a more individual humanistic angle of surreality and individuality.

Interested? Just happened to be in Shanghai? I think its worth dropping by the exhibition for viewing. After all, Shanghai Art Museum houses other collections worth taking a look as well.

Brain surgeons use monkeys in China

2007-11-11T13:28:00.000+08:00

Animal protectors, animal lovers, do no groan as you read:

Doctors from Renji Hospital are using monkeys as aides to conduct research on brain surgery. In the experiments carried out, they found out from monkeys that 10 minutes are the longest period a monkey can withstand a blocked blood supply to its brain without suffering effects or dying.

Apparently, SOME monkeys must have ~~died~~ along the way, since it is ~~KNOWN~~ after 10 minutes damage will be done.

Monkeys were used as their brains were similar in structure to those of humans. The experiment provided data useful in treatments to serious brain injuries, tumours and other human diseases.

Reality bites eh? To save ourselves, the endanger of others. Or rather, is it ethical?

The traffic jaguars shows their spots again

2007-11-11T13:25:00.000+08:00

After months of good manners, Shanghai motorists shows their leapord spots again. What? For those who have no idea what's going on, Shanghai roads are always filled with road bashing and angry horns until the Shanghai government decide to imply laws down on June 1 2007 to stop the angry motorists from using their horns readily.

Violators who keep beeping their horns will be fine up to 200 yuan (bah), and thats for 4 wheel vehicles. Two wheels can get away with a ticket of 5 - 50 yuan -.-

Traffic police were stationed everywhere around the city to curb the usage of angry horns. It seemed to worked well for a couple of months. But as the situations get better and the security checks toned down, the horns are back again! Traffic polices decided to have a new round of combat with the daily users of the roads soon.

A famous rumour of a chinese caught spitting and fined 5 yuan only had 10 yuan when fined. As there was no change given by the police in action, the one caught decided to spit one more time to make up the extra 5 yuan.

Looks like the city will ever need Traffic police around to catch the law breakers. No cane, no pain.

photograph by Justin O'Connor

Ashop Commerce for you

2007-11-11T13:21:00.000+08:00

Looking forward to starting E-commerce with ease?

Then read on: Ashop Commerce, a leading business solution for online commerce via the internet, offers shopping cart software that is very easy to set up. The entire product is web based, no installation required, and it allows you to get your store up and running quickly and easily.

The shopping cart software is user friendly for those who want to start their first business online. If you're new to ecommerce and want to get a shopping cart up and running without any technical knowledge required, then Ashop offer the right shopping cart software for you. AShop offers a 10 day trial if you'd like to test their product - no commitment is necessary.

The cart is fully featured, and supports detailed product catalogues complete with categories, thumbnail images, bulk orders, and detailed reporting. You can customise the cart to how you want it, and a variety of payment options are available too. If you are after an affordable, flexible, and powerful ecommerce solution, then consider AShop commerce. Visit the site now

http://www.ashop.com.au

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Singapore hitting 4.7 million people in population. Too many jobs too little people the garments say

2007-11-11T13:18:00.000+08:00

There's something i actually don't understand. Recently, Singapore is on an ever push for talents to come and work in our little country. Our little country is also very worried that the current situation of aging population and little amount of babies born equals to the fact that it will affect any economic drive needed to push anything for the better. So I guess our garment is really happy should any migrants come over and make babies here. This is something i dig out from MSN news:

Singapore's resident population, including those granted permanent residence (PR) status, totalled 3.68 million, it said.
Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, who is also in charge of population issues, told the Straits Times newspaper that 46,900 foreigners were granted PRs in the first nine months of the year. A total of 57,300 foreigners were granted PRs in 2006, he said.
Regarding concerns by Singaporeans who fear competition for jobs from newcomers, Wong, who is also home affairs minister, said: "Our challenge is not the number of jobs available; it is (that) we do not have enough people to match the current rate of job creation."

I guess Singaporeans might be worried about not finding any good jobs should all the talents come in. But I have to say, we are more worried if the economy slows down and many more out of jobs, less incentives, less pay, less benifits to the citizens. To me, I rather welcome more migrants. First thing, more people come in equals to Singaporeans need to hop out of the well, which means, its good for us. For the snobbish people we are who always think we are on top of the world, facing challenges means only we should improve. Many also said a lot of us go out leave and never come back. I believe that was what the country wanted us to do in the first place. No?

For those interested in living in Singapore, just go google "contact singapore" , or visit www.mom.gov.sg

The mysteries of ancient Sanxingdui II

2007-11-11T13:16:00.000+08:00

Archaeologists around the world were excited by the unearthling of large palatial remains in the 1980s, the remnants of the eastern, western and southern walls in 1984 and the discovery of two large sacrificial pits in 1986.

These discoveries proved that Sanxingdui contains the ruins of an ancient city that was political, economic and cultural centre of the ancient Shu kingdom.

A metropolis of its time, Sanxingdui boasted highly developed agrcultural and mining systems, and produced ceramics and sacrificial tools.

Before the excavation of Sanxingdui, it was believed that Sichuan has a history dating back 3000 years. Thanks to the excavation, it is now believed that civilized culture first appeared in Sichuan 5000 years ago.

Archaologists say that the Sanxingdui Ruins also dispel theories that the Yellow River was the sole starting point of Chinese civilization.

Of more than 10,000 relics unearthed in Sanxingdui, the nearly 1000 found in 1986 in the two sacrificial pits are considered the most valuable. In these two pits, bronze, gold, jade and marble artifacts, pottery, bone implements, elephant tusks and objects made of ivory were found. Archaeologists also discovered cowries and roughly 800 large bronze relics.

In addition to the many bronze and gold masks, the most valuable finds from the two pits included the bronze statue of the Shu king, a gold scepter and a bronze "spirit tree". With a length of 1.42 metres, a diametre of 2.3 cm and weight of 0.5kg, te design on the gold scepter features fish, birds, and human figures. The scepter is believed to be a symbol for a monarchic or theocratic order, or a combination of two. Consisting of a pedestral, a trunk and part of a dragon, the 3.95 metre-tall bronze tree is the oldest, tallest and largest of its kind in the world. Some thinks that it represents a legendary spirit tree, while many researchers believe that the tree was an all-embracing symbol.

The Sanxingdui covers 12 square kilometres, of which only four have been excavated. Chen Xiandan, deputy curater of the Sichuan Provicial Museum says: "It is likely that more exciting archaeological discoveries will be made"

The mysteries of ancient Sanxingdui I

2007-11-11T13:14:00.000+08:00

One of the more impressive displays at the Sanxingdui Museum, in Guanghan of South-west China's Sichuan Province, is a bronze statue of a barefoot man with anklets and clenched hands.

The 2.62 metre high, 180 kg statue is throught to represent a king of the Shu Kingdom. She was the name of Sichuan in ancient times.

Dating back 3100 years, the king's statue is crowned with a sun motiff and coated with three layers of tight, short sleeved bronze "clothing", which is decorated with a dragon pattern and overlaid with a checked ribbon.

Huang Nengfu, a professor of art and design at Tsinghua University and an eminent researcher in Chinese clothing from different dynasties, considers the garment to be the countriy's oldest existing dragon robe. He also thinks that the pattern is the work of the famous Shu embriodery.

The robe has changed the traditional view that Shu Embroidery began in the mid-Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). Instead it shows Shu Embroidery appeared in the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century - c.11th century BC), according to Wang Yuqing, a Taiwan-based Chinese clothing historian.

The bronze statue of the Shu king is one of the four most important cultural relics to be found in the Sanxingdui Ruins in Guanghan, a city 40 km from Chengdu. Sanxingdui, means "three star mounds" in English, is so named because the ruins are located in a village where there are three mounds.

Since 1992, more than 10,000 relics, dating between 5000 and 3000 years ago, have been unearthed in the city's Sanxingdui Ruins. The excavations have yielded some of the most significant Chinese archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

Broke before salary comes? Payday Loans

2007-11-11T13:11:00.000+08:00

I tell you a few possibilities in which people ended up needing a loan:

1. broke.
2. burn their hand playing financial investments
3. upkeep is more than salary.

In such cases, when upkeep equals to high, maybe you had been clubbing, buying things as if money is never a factor. Recently, I read up about the how English leagues are rather displeased with their young players nowadays. Many of their players just do not value the meaning of salary. With many getting 50,000 pounds a week, they spend their cash like mad. Consequences, you need a loan from somewhere before your pay day comes.

No Fax Payday Loans: Getting a loan is possible. But, should not be heeded as a choice regularly. Supposely if you can ask for a loan and pay as soon as possible, its okay. However, if upkeeping continues at rate larger than exact salary, you are putting yourself at risks in which you might end up with bad credits, forcing to make choices you don't want to.

However, if you are confident in control, Payday Loans is always an alternative should you need money urgently. Fast, reliable, no fax needed, in minutes you will get your cash in hand.

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Christie's auctions setting mad statistics

2007-11-11T13:09:00.000+08:00

Sales of fine art, jewelry and ceramics are predicted to fetched an estimated HK$7.1 billion in total at Christie's Hong Kong 2007 fall auctions at the end of the month.

The interesting part about this auction off this fall are the growing numbers of Chinese 20th century and Asian contemporary art being auctioned off. More than 460 lots under this category went on sale, and will be fetching an estimated value of HK400 million dollars.

Works by Zhang Xiao Gang, Yue Mingjun, Cai Guoqiang are high on a record setting. In a bid to attract buyers from around the world Christie's has held pre-sale exhibition in Jakarta, Beijing, Singapore, London and Moscow.

Looks like Christie's is really set in making Modern Asian Contemporary Art a growing trend in collectibles. Whether a not this is a drive for profits. I am sure many museums out there in the world will be happy to collect some of this master pieces which depict stories of an era of chaos and social reform.

China - 5 unusual retreats for you

2007-11-11T13:06:00.000+08:00

Commune by the Great Wall Kempinski

Just an hour's drive from downtown Beijing, you will find 42 villas with a total of 236 rooms and suites spread over eitght kilometres of hilly terrain adjoining the Great Wall. The Commune is an architecture museum, luxury resort and natural spectacle all in one - a popular location for corporate retreats, meetings, and conferences for up to 500 guests.

Directions: Badaling Highway, exit at Shuiguan
Website: Commune by the Great Wall Kempinski

Fuchun Resort

Forty kilometres from Hangzhou and 250 from Shanghai, this resort has 70 rooms and suites plus 17 villas nestled among the hills above the scenic Fuchun River. Enjoy some tempting East-West fusion cuisine at the award-winning T8 restraunt without worrying about extra pounds. These can easily work off again anyway on the 18 golf course on in the spa gym.

Directions: Fuyang Section, Hangfu Yangjiang Road, Hangzhou
Website: Fuchun Resort

Hotel of Modern Art

Who would have thought it? The Guilin region of South China boasts more than just a spectacular natural scenery. It also has a stylish design hotel, HoMA, set in a private park containing sculptures by artists from every corner of the earth. You are welcome to take a peek over the artists' shoulder as they work - or even take up a hammer and chisel yourself!

Directions: Yuzi-Paradise, Dubu Town, Yanshan District, Guilin
Website: Hotel of Modern Art

Banyan Tree Lijiang

Not far from Lijiang (whose old town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997), the Banyan Tree from Singapore comprises 55 villas decorated in the traditional Naxi style and has plenty of opportunities for guests to relax: in the private garden or the pool, at one of the hotel restraunts or luxuriating in the spa. The panoramic views of nearby 5,600-meter Jade Dragon Snow Mountain are thrilling and soothing at the same time.

Directions: Lijiang, Yunnan Province
Website: Banyan Tree

Jia Shanghai

Jia Shanghai offers style-conscious guests a wonderful home away from home ("jia" means home). The hotel's Italian restraunt and its rooftop bar and lounge are design to attract the chic set from Shanghai.

Directions: 931 West Nanjing Road. , Shanghai, Tel. +8621 62179000
Website: Jia Shanghai

TrustSource.com provides Hairloss information for you

2007-11-02T12:22:00.000+08:00

If you don't live in China, you will not know about the commercials Jacky Chan made for a hair loss product. There is nothing much about it, just that close to 50 years old, Jacky Chan still boast a full blown set of black and lustful hair. He insisted that no special effects should be used in the promotion of this product he hosted in China. So after using it for months, viola, the results are out: Black hair(Well, you can still see the syndroms of hairloss, but there's improvements)!

So meet Trustsource.org. Your alternative to Jacky Chan's martial art's cheena style resources for products for hairloss. Hemorrhoids is a problem faced when people reach middle age. Due to stress, work pressure, environment and lifestyle, loss of hair is a frequent sight in our society. Just like a couple of days ago, I seen a really pretty lady in her 30s aboard MTR in Shanghai. However, she is showing signs of losing hair, a very pityful sight.

Trustsource.org ensures the best products review online for you. How do they rank it? They do it by:

Sales Data and Rank

Consultations with Health Care Professionals

Consultations with Hemorrhoids sufferers

Customer rankings and reviews of popular Hemorrhoids Treatments products

You can even write a review on the product should you actually be using it. Help those who really needs information of the product by showing your efforts in providing true and real data today.

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Edgar look at this photo!

2007-11-01T10:43:00.000+08:00

Perhaps you might want to find such pictures during your travels in China. Nope I did not take this. Nope, it will not be easy to find such folks in the cities. But, Do take note of such old man. Pictures like this will go well in your stocks!

under one roof

2007-11-01T10:41:00.000+08:00

I tell you Ah Fat
Don't think you need a complimentary pat
You live in my house like a rat
sometimes i just wish to squash u with a bat
i wish i can have a break and eat kit kat
but knn, i hear your voice i feel my balls shrink like mercury and lead
dun bully my girl so much i tell u
i know ur quite the insensitive and wake up your idea will most probably end up in wails
but i do hope see you change to new perfect you
so i no need think you an ugly view

Online Casino Review site 360.com

2007-11-01T10:26:00.000+08:00

The whole concept of finding an online review site for Casino is to ensure while you play play poker online, you need not worry about any scams, cheats and unwanted hassles. That's what Pro360 does for you. It reviews hundreds of the best online casinos, helping you to ease your way through to your earnings.

In Pro360, you will see a database of information. For US players, you will be glad to see which are the online sites with proper safety features, site trusted, games inclusion and exclusion. For the players out there in the world, Pro360 also provides reviews on which sites can be played in your country.

As quoted from Pro360:

These factors are important in the selection of your favorite online casino and online casino games such as online poker, craps, slots and roulette. Every player has their own preferences in game, features, bonus structures and graphics, so it's important that Pro360 list these in detail so your gambling experience can begin with less troubles and more excitement!

Pro360 is rich in content, provides information to you should you ever be interested in a new game. There are introductions to poker, bingo, black jack, sports betting and such.

You can gain bonus to each casino when you sign up after browsing through the reviews and picked which one you want go to. With extra service and a little luck, plus your mathematical analysis, who knows you might just win lots today.

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No Shaolin Here Please!

2007-11-01T10:23:00.000+08:00

A post by 中国的另一端 (Winner of China Blog Awards 2007 - Best News Blog) caught my attention this couple of days. Look at the photo nicely cropped out "Mr.Viceroy of Xinjiang". The post is about an archaelogical site in Tuva. Its in regard to what Tuvans will do to an excavation site found near Lake Tere-Khol. Here is what quoted from The Opposite End China:

The site is being excavated and renovated with hopes that it can become a lucrative tourist attraction for a very remote part of Russia populated mostly by ethnic Tuvans. Sergei Shoigu, who is a native Tuvan and holds the fantastic title of Russian Minister for Extraordinary Situations, said:

"We shall build there a Russian Shaolin and invite everybody to come there. And our youth will come I am sure. They will learn philosophy, Tibetan medicine, horseracing, and oriental martial arts in there."

Madness, this is a treasure for the Russians! Not to be used for commercial purpose dude. Imagine the amount of information buried within this fortress. There could be leads to how life is for one of the four brother who ventured out of China since Yuan Dynasty belongs Mr. Khan himself. The fortress itself in the middle of of lake should be something of research value on how such a project is carried out by people of the past, especially to a bunch who ride on horses.

Of course, there are also people perhaps against such ideas, quoted from Tuva-Online:

In Tuva itself an attitude to these great plans is not unanimously positive. Tuvan scientists are afraid of the improper restoration works substituted by new construction. Ordinary people think that the fortress become a visit place of only rich people as not any would be able to afford a air flight to the place.

My Tuvans, if you ever gonna do something, please don't destroy something of such values. Let's put it this way. Its like asking Sharika to dance in thongs and preeching Tibetian Scriptures. You'll be a laughing stock to any cultural heritage organisation out there if its gonna be improvised. No shaolin on this fortress please!

China Education - The Ever Late Modernization

2007-11-01T10:21:00.000+08:00

If one categorize China's advance to change and modernize different sectors and areas of policies, China Education's road to modernization can be said to be one of the hardest to be done. Historically, in a hierachical competitive society, China education provided a fair and just route in which one can find means to climb up in accordance to Maslow's Laws. Whether its from individual's dreams of success, policies to cohesively run in sequence with the government's beliefs, China Education has gone through its up and down in history.

Still, within this century. if one talks about the four areas of advancements in agriculture, national defence, industrial developments, and science as comparison, China education seem to be lagging behind and remains late to the race in modernization.

China Education, together with the develops and modernization of China, creates a disorder in which raises the issues in which why China Education is lagging behind comparing to the various sectors of modernization. The difficulties in which China Education faces, is not the problem of education itself, rather the influence of social issues on China Education makes it difficult to be improved. One area of aspect is to look and know that China's modernization is complicated and adopted to a very chamaleon style of change, and form adaptation by following crowds to run cohesively meets up with challenges. Next, the economy behind supporting the issues on reforming China Education is limited. Most of such funds become personally owned or put to areas in which deemed as more important that the modernization of China Education.

So how can China Education Modernization face the challenges ahead? What kind of requiresites are needed? And how can it find a balance between the issues that are numbering up with the the needs required for the modernization for the education in China? And from it a more systematic, with proper aims and visions, depth of education to create a unique and social Chinese Education that differs from others emerge to meet the demands of this draconian modernizing China?

Top USA Online Casinos Review

2007-11-01T10:18:00.000+08:00

In China, anywhere you want to gamble, you can gamble. But the only legal Paradise of such is Macau. For many, this unique place in the Middle Kingdom, a Special Chinese Administrative Region (SAR), is out of reach(Too far, no money, under-dressed). My daily life in Shanghai always lead to a group of people in open areas gambling over their whatever Chinese-styled poker card game. Some of them are construction workers taking their time off from work by the roads in cards, workers in restraunts during late nights do it as well, of course there are those old people who frequent mahjong rooms for their session of Shanghainese mahjong of "Tsing-yi-se". All this is a very gray line in which one can determine them as illegal gathering and assembly, a social recreational activity, illegal gambling, or a little bit of everything.

So, when I decide to write about casino, I am rather idea strucked about how to begin.

Top USA Online Casino is an online reviews site for Online Casinos(ok i beginned). It has a very clean site in which unlike the other sites that perhaps lend it weight on the theme "gambling, casino, money" you will have to expect yourself to be readied for a browser challenge of pop-ups, redirects, unwanted registrations, and in many cases, spywares and trojans installed into your laptop or PC. It is a very clean site, mainly providing details for safe online casino gaming.

When I browse through the reviews, I am actually surprised that our so called and deemed Lao Wais and Ang Mors actually picked up certain Chinese beliefs on luck. For example extra $888 of free chips to attract players. Its a symbolic gesture for luck. The reviews show a series of technicality in which keeps players eased: whether there are security features certified, fairness in gameplay and they even have the big 4s to do the auditting for them. The site provides good information. As the saying goes, we don't want cheats, we want fairness, we want luck, we want big money.

To read up the reviews visit: http://www.topusaonlinecasinos.com/

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For Song Bai Hua and his sourcing

2007-10-31T18:08:00.000+08:00

This is what I read up when I popped into Shanghaiist.com today:

Want your 6min 40sec of fame? Have some interesting ideas that you've been dying to share with the world? Then put together 12 powerpoint slides of 20 seconds each (no boring lectures or grandmother's tales please), and get in touch with the organisers of Pecha Kucha Night volume 8 at info@far-china.net.

From the organisers:

Pecha Kucha Night is for designers, architects, photographers, architects, interior designers, graphical designers, game designers, artists, fashion designers, inventors, creative students or anyone else with ideas the world needs to know about. If you want to present a new building, furniture, book, add campaign, fashion line, gadgets or any other idea or design come and share it with us!
Pecha Kucha Night volume 8 will take place on the 16th of November as part of the Shanghai International Creative Industry Week. The location this time is the main auditorium of building "1933" in Hongkou. The doors will open at 19:00, the presentations will kick off at 19:33 sharp.

This might be good information for a friend of mine who is currently having his own company in relation to such industries.

Recently, I had been helping out with a friend from Dongbei region. He is dealing with 3D-animation effects for architecture. It is a customer service related after effects product in which I found most of the time he and his company don't end up having any stable office life. Work work work... Anyway, I got him a Mexican student as an Intern in his office currently. Basically area of work as an Intern is to help him source for opportunities overseas and see if he can bring in any projects. If there are anyone interested in such, he is still looking for foreigner who can speak both Mandrin and a Native language. Just comment here and let me know, I try to get back to you as soon as possible. Intern stipends is 800RMB a month, flexible working hours. Just need to produce something out of your Internship and not end up everyday watch Korean movies in the office or surf porn please.

And from Sinocities.net this is what I read up:

It took a while again but we are happy to announce that Pecha Kucha Night volume 8 will take place on the 16th of November as part of the Shanghai International Creative Industry Week! The location this time is the main auditorium of the former slaughterhouse called “1933″ in Hongkou. The doors will open at 19:00, the presentations will kick off at 19:33 sharp. We still have a few speaker slots open, if you want to one of the presenters, better hurry up, we are almost full. Send us an email with your personal details and what you want to present, to info(AT)far-china.net and we will let you know asap if you’re in! For more details see the special Pecha Kucha page on this site.

Blogs of Note - Yvonne Foong

2007-10-31T18:06:00.000+08:00

I want to take some time in promoting a site in which you can actually help out a person in need. She is Yvonne Foong, a very intelligent and hardworking person. Unfortunately, she has been combatting health difficulties in recent years as she faces a rare sickness making losing her eyesight currently. Tumours growth makes her living difficult and hard to determine which day she might have to drop down. Below is an excerpt of her conditions:

When she was only 16, doctors diagnosed her with a rare genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis Type 2. Curious schoolteachers and friends could only observe, as the former ballet dancer, figure skater, karate fighter and Soprano in the school choir suffered sudden health deteriorations that robbed her bodily capabilities.

In her thirteenth year when the first symptoms arise, Yvonne became deaf in the right ear, and soon had difficulty balancing. The unexpected turn of events were strange and unbelievable. In the next three years, Yvonne suffered in silence, swallowing the ill-fate in a gulp and roughed through tough times alone, when no one paid serious attention to her pleas for medical attention.

To date, Yvonne has undergone 1 spine and 3 brain surgeries. The first two were done at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital where she suffered the consequences of reckless and ill-informed doctors. Besides that, the lack of experience among local doctors proved unhelpful in treating tumours caused by Neurofibromatosis Type 2.

As such, Yvonne is determined to seek medical treatment abroad. Her life took another twist upon meeting a kind Neurotologist named Dr. Rick A. Friedman, who did her third surgery for free. The opportunity broadened Yvonne’s perspective towards the world of medicine, and her life became hopeful once again.

The fourth surgery, which was to remove another brain tumour that robbed her residual hearing in 2005, was successfully done by Dr. Friedman in Los Angeles. For this surgery, Yvonne together with her friends and kind members of the public raised the cost by selling t-shirts and accessories, and by organising various fundraising events. The first 10 months of selling, giving speeches, appearing in newspapers and magazines, and dealing with stress was not easy, but for a better quality of life, the effort was definitely worthwhile.

Please help spread the word for her if you can. For readers in China, and if your family members can help her in anything, please do so. Her medical bills are very expensive and hard to upkeep. Every few months, she need to source out 5000-6000 Malaysian ringgit in order to do any surgery. You can help her by reading up on her. She does some fund raising on her own to pay for her own bills. You can buy off the things she auctioned off online. Read up her blog to find out how you can do it. Her recent corsett from Russia really looks wonderful!

Contact Singapore "Singapore – Your World of Possibilities" Afterthoughts

2007-10-31T18:05:00.000+08:00

1. A lot of people came and asked how issit like to work in Singapore.
2. Many were unsure how to find jobs and work in Singapore.
3. Many asked about the currency exchange conversion of Singapore Dollars and RMB
4. The surveyors hired disturbed the visitors while they were actually viewing the exhibition. Blast them!
5. Booth information is not enough. Please go to Contact Singapore or Ministry of Manpower.
6. Many just come for freebies. Take goodie bag and head for exit.
7. Some directly went towards the photo taking area to have their photos taken.
8. There are many professionals out there who met to the needs of Singapore in search for foreign talents
9. Just maybe command of English language not good.
10. More people visit when Host is giving out prizes.
11. Every Booth should have a furniture called a chair for the volunteers -.-
12. All kinds of people come in. Quite funny and hilarious actually.
13. Especially if they asked "Singapore going to merge with another country?" due to Lao Lee recent interview saying that if Malaysia is a country that offers equal opportunities to all the diffrent races, perhaps MAYBE Singapore might merge with them one day. Go figure what he meant. LOL
14. One interesting guy even asked whether there are loads of Brothels and Nightclubs in Singapore o.O
15. One person asked how much I think his salary can fetch if he work in Singapore. I said 2500SGD. He said too little. He gets more in China. The he so confident, he can always try his luck in fetching a better salary in Singapore :) My judegement might be wrong.
16. Found out Chinese are actually angry that Singaporean Chinese or Singaporeans in general do have racial prejudice. When I heard this, I felt rather uncomfortable. Thiongs angry already.
17. Many worried they try get EPEC cannot find job in Singapore and worries about the standards of living and upkeep while finding jobs.
18. Some really pretty girls very keen on the EPEC, when asked about their qualifications, they go err ahhh err ahh.. I wonder what kinds of jobs they are really seeking in Singapore. .-.
19. Many are interested in finding a job, investing to get the so called GREEN CARD (permanent residence) in Singapore.
20. Many also think China can earn more than in Singapore.
21. Super Brand Floor 3 is a sloppish area. People might tend to walk down too fast to see exhibition.
22. The food area where Sauces for cookery by KEES very popular with housewives!
23. Optical Mouse giveaways attract crowds very fast.
24. The first day go this ah kua boy group maybe called BOBO or something attracted more crowds unfortunately. -.-
25. Damn shagged to work so long hours.
26. Surprised that other foreigners residing in China or touring Shanghai were interested with the exhibition. - Korean, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Hongkong People, Indonesians, Philippinos...etc
27. Many were really interested with the EPEC and EPSAT and spend long time playing around with it.
28 Also, those who were patient actually browse through all the information before leaving. 29. A lot more, brained freeze.
30. I think go some gay come also. Very nice people they all actually. More humble and friendly than some Aunties -.-

Contact Singapore "Singapore – Your World of Possibilities" Exhibition Day 1 & 2

2007-10-31T18:02:00.000+08:00

Okay so to promote more about the Singapore Season. Here goes:

I was helping out as a Volunteer in Super Brand Mall in Zhu Jia Zhui, Pudong area, just beside Shangri-la Hotel and that Oriental Tower in an exhibiton helped by Contact Singapore called "Singapore – Your World of Possibilities". This exhibition is part of the theme Singapore Season help in China, to promote on what is it like to work in Singapore, living in Singapore and studying in Singapore. Tough work I tell you, you stand whole day [12 hours] cannot sit down, the exihibition area was on a slope in the Mall at third floor. After standing for hours the previous day in the Gala Dinner, the slope can kill your back i tell you. Funny thing is when you get to shagged after a couple of hours, the back pain suddenly just disappeared o.O

I was stationed at a booth based on the theme Manpower Singapore. Basically, job scope was to promote that Singapore is looking for foreign talents, what are the various work permits available to talents should they decide to work in Singapore, give out freebies, guide them in using the computers to find the information they need, tell them the various industries Singapore is looking for talents yada yada

If you are interested in seeking out more information in Chinese on how to find work and what is it like living in Singapore, there is a Chinese version of Contact Singapore Website you can look at. And this is what I can tell you after telling loads of visitors. To find an ideal job in Singapore, You can either directly contact the company or boards you are interested based in Singapore (example: Tamasek Holdings, Ministry of Education, Sprint, Sembcorp, IBM, etc..), send your resume if they have any vacancy and hope you get an interview and a job was offered to you, and viola you will get your residence permit and work permit and you are on your way to Singapore. Or you can try this:

quoted from Ministry of Manpower on EPEC:

The Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) allows foreigners who are i) holders of selected university qualifications, or ii) current or former holders of selected skilled migrant visas to stay in Singapore for up to one year to facilitate their job search in Singapore. Generally, if you have been granted an EPEC by MOM, you are likely to qualify for an Employment Pass upon securing employment in Singapore.

which basically means you can try to get a social visit pass (if you meet the requirements for EPEC), live in Singapore and adapt to the environment slowly, at the same time you can find job there in Singapore legally. This one of course, not just appy to Chinese citizens, any foreign talents from anywhere around the Globe can Apply!

You can try to evaluate yourself and see if you are eligible for EPEC via a personal test run using the EPSAT created by the Ministry of Manpower. Please don't disturb me on comments on how to help you find information on my blog. My voluntary service to the exhibition. If you need more information, just go visit Ministry of Manpower Singapore and Contact Singapore!

Related Readings:

Singapore Season Gala Dinner 2007 - Shanghai

Singapore Season Gala Dinner 2007 - Shanghai

2007-10-31T18:01:00.000+08:00

Together with some exchange students from NUS and Singaporean students studying in Fudan University, I was helping out an Usher in the Singapore Season Gala Dinner Event helped in Shanghai last Friday. The Gala dinner in Shanghai was helped in Shangri-la Hotel at Pudong in Zhu Jia Zhui. I have to say it was an eye opener for me. Lots of celeberaties, important people. All dressed up nice for the evening.

Sadly, I have no photographs to show of the wonderful event that took place that evening.

Its rather interesting to see all the various people who made this possible. From the stage crews to the back crews, all busying themselves early in the morning for the night event. Just before the event started and crowd start rushing in, securities were tightened up to ensure the public area were safe and not TARGETED by terrorists. o.O

We see all the smokers cigerretes triggered happy here in China this time. Perhaps a sudden freedom in "can smoke anywhere" makes Singaporean smokers out there in the event happy. Yuh, even in Shangri-la Hotel here in China, you can smoke. The lobbies, corridors and walking lanes allows smoking. So you end up seeing the dancers and artists lighting up, cheerful and all in their coversations during smoke breaks. After staying here for a couple of years and suddenly seeing this sight, I just have the urge to go over and say to them "Song bor? Can smoke anywhere no need find yellow box liao (hahahah)"

The dinner proceeded after important speeches with peformances from our local artists. Very well done. Vibrant, creative, very artst. Very well toned with the Singapore Season 2007 theme.

One attraction that formed a spider web in my mind was a mini fashion show. Those models are so tall. Standing a height of 1.8-19.m tall, and wearing those high heels make them look like they pop out from Star Wars. Of course, beautiful customed gowns they wear and make-ups heighten the senses.

Gala Dinner ended with He Yao San singing with groups of kids going up the stage to join her in the singing.

Went home after the event. End up crossing the bloody river in a ferry for 2 RMB after some dumb taxi driver insisted Tunnels are closed and cannot go to Puxi Xuhui Area. Want go Xuhui District must take Nan pu Bridge, making the meter double in cost and distance. Zzzz..

Guess what fruit is in abundance and cheap in Shanghai now?

2007-10-31T17:58:00.000+08:00

Tangerine! I see Lots of them by the road stalls and vendors, in super markets like Carrefour, Wallmart, Emart and all!

They are going for a price like RMB 1.50 per 500 grams currently. Its a good deal. Big harvest from nearby I guess. Eat and enjoy. However, there is a saying in Chinese, don't eat too much. This fruit can be a little heaty.

You can cook good and delicious meals using Tangerine. It mixes well with pork and beef as a side dish. I seen it as side dish in fusion cuisine onboard Lufthansa Airlines. And for the health conscious and cancer patients, read below.

quoted from China Daily:

Tangerine peel could help in the fight against certain cancers. Human cancer cells, which contain an enzyme called P450 CYP1B1, were destroyed by a compound contained in tangerine peel, Salvestrol Q40, scientists at Leicester School of Pharmacy found.

The findings may offer a new approach to uncovering a treatment for cancers such as breast, lung, prostrate and ovarian cancer, the scientists said. Medicinal chemist Dr. Hoon L. Tan said: "It is very exciting to find a compound in food that can target cancers specifically. "Salvestrols may offer a new mechanism of dietary anti-cancer action

Gay Blogs in China - Yculblog

2007-10-25T18:15:00.000+08:00

In trying to find more readings on Gay culture, I continue to browse through the blogs in YculBlog. Here are more blogs in relation to Gay community here, this are the authors to the blogs they own:

COCO
猫猫
 死地
 marc
狗狗
 左转右转
 joeyzf
疯一样的男子

The problem for most readers who are Not from China is that these blogs are written in Chinese. You might not understand what's written. There should be more people out there. Just my mandrin is no good and I cannot source them out. Please note that these blogs are for you to understand them. You should not criticise as everyone has the right to choose any paths in their life.

We all choose to live the style of life we want. Some of us spent crazy hours rushing datelines in work. Some choose a more carefree style of Living. Some of them might have double personalities in order to hide things the society deemed as controversial. But as the african belief in Ubuntu goes, "Do good, Have Love, Have compassion, make the world better", everyone has and equal right in every day's life.

Gay Culture in China

2007-10-25T18:12:00.000+08:00

I got bored today, woke up and decide to do some understanding of tagging. I started off with knowing what are the popular tags within this YculBlog.com blogsite i used. What caught my attention was a couple of tags in relation to Gay culture here in China. Everything begins with a tag: gay

So what did I find out? Lots of articles written by gay community here. No, they seem to have a lack of ability for concealment. They perhaps would prefer to be disclosed out. Out of the closet out of the cabinet. A term in the gay community to be let known. Though this is a virtual world in which perhaps bloggers use a different name from their real world, many of their articles actually talks about real life, what's happening in the worl revolving around them.

Sad to say, a couple of them perhaps felt that they are born in a body which does not belong to them. Castrato is one of them. There is an air of immortality in his post. He feels a need to push on in life, enjoy life to the fullest, perhaps one day changing the world around him. There is still perhaps a very typical mindset of Asian values in his beliefs: take care of parents, get rich, take of his love ones, but there is a tinge of air in which he hopes there are changes. A common value in gay community who wish to be accepted in the society. From his blog, I feel that there is a very big lust factor involving around sex, some concepts can be rather gruesome to the normal people. People who maybe have the urge to understand can read him blog at well.

Intangible Cultural Heritage - A new prospect for preservation of cultures in China?

2007-10-25T18:10:00.000+08:00

Intangible Cultural Heritage is a new word in China. With it, it brought about a lot of awareness among the Chinese. We can understand it by saying such cultures are usually formless, and do not have a stationary position like buildings and relics. Rather, such cultures usually exists amidst the crowds in the forms of folklore, craftmanship, beliefs, practices, dances and performances.

China has deemed a couple of such practices into Intangible Cultural Heritage areas: beijing opera and Kun-qu, folk arts like those of bamboo carvings from Jiaoding, drum performances from Shaanxi, tea drinking practices and many more. It become a much awared activity when one visits perhaps a Beijing Opera and go woo ah and say "LOOK! This is China's Intangible Cultural Heritage!" Yes, more people have become aware of such. The Chinese are proud of what they have, took pride in it, start to respect, and many become more prone to protect such treasures.

What I like to point out is that are such treasures more important, or the name Intangible Cultural Heritage that made them important? What if let say traditional paper cutting is not protected at all, will people be so much concerned in preserving this form of fork art running in the society? Will people just say, "eh no point, will not earn money, nobody wish to upkeep such traditions, let's do something that will earn more money..".. Such thoughts make me wonder which is more important, the branding or really the tradition.

Of course, for those old practioners and loyalists to any specific form of art, they are at their tip top happiness. The grandma who goes to her weekly Beijing Opera chuckles happily to herself, knowing that what she enjoy will never disappear. Sweet way to gain awareness, she says.

Chinese Astronomy

2007-10-19T21:53:00.000+08:00

Picture: Chinese Astronomy. Chinese Star Chart possibly dating from the 600s AD, Tang Dynasty

One cannot not link to history, archaeology, historical management, museum management without linking to science and development, that includes the developments of astronomy in Ancient China. One of my lecturers, Cai Da Feng from Fudan University, Shanghai, was interested in Astronomy. He is a busy man, but always find time to play around his hobby.

Chinese astronomers, like Roman and Sassanian astronomers of the same time period in Europe and West Asia, were very interested in the stars both for scientific reasons and because they believed that the skies could help predict the future.

One of these Chinese astronomers drew this star chart, which is the oldest one in the world. Even though telescopes and binoculars hadn't been invented yet, the chart shows some very faint stars that are very hard to see with just your eyes.

But along with this chart, there were also instructions for predicting the future based on the shape of clouds.

For more information on Chinese Astronomy, you can visit the link here: Chinese astronomy

What I cooked yesterday - Dinner for 3

2007-10-19T21:49:00.000+08:00

I made soup yesterday.

I have no name for it but this are the ingredients and steps:

pork minced meat 50 grams
garlic x 1, chopped finely
small onions x 3, chopped finely
melon x 1 (mao gua), cubed
small potato x 1, cubed
soya sauce
sasame oil
pepper
sugar
salt
black beans 50 grams
peanuts 50 grams
egg x 1
Gou qi, a little bit

1.heat up 1 litre of water in a pot.
2. slice up the melon into cubes and toss in when water is hot
3. next, golden fry the onions and throw into the soup. It gives off a nice aroma. Chinese style
4. let the content boil for a while. Meanwhile, you can chop up your garlic and throw it in
5. prepared your minced pork. add soya sauce, peppar and sasame oil to your liking with the minced pork. Add an extra egg to it if you have nothing to do and maybe a few more calories to make you feel better in this cold Shanghai weather.
6. toss it in into the soup
7. add peanuts and black beans. make sure wash them first!
8. add cubed potatos in
9. season to taste with gou qi, salt, sugar
10. let soup boil for 2 hours

Its good and sweet, though it doesn't really look appetizing :)

food that goes along well with it:
fried pork sticks - bought from the road side at 6rmb
friend duck meat - bought from the road side at 6rmb

Bloggerwave is now ready for bloggers

2007-10-18T12:13:00.000+08:00

Hello Bloggers! Bloggerwave is a new and exciting earning review site for bloggers intending to earn a little cash as one blogs. It has a niche platform allowing users to look for reviews they can write on when they are blogging. Earn some cash online with Bloggerwave. It is inviting more users to sign up with them currently. If you think you have the time, your blog is interesting, and you can drive traffic for Bloggerwave, sign up now!

A good things about signing up and writing reviews for review sites allows traffic to be driven to your site as well at the same time. Its a win-win situation for both you and Bloggerwave. Try now!

Advertisers who are keen in driving traffic to their website should also take a looka looka with Bloggerwave.

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Link to more earnings here: Bloggerwave

Blog of the Day - Renmibi

2007-10-18T11:24:00.000+08:00

Renminbi is a newly designed web-blog about China, living in China, and about how West meet East. No, its never always culture shock, Some of the articles inside are rather cheesy and entertaining, and tips for cultural bileteration, feeling good for both east and west. Its worth taking a look, they got foresight on how they will deliever china as a blog, at the same meeting to their demands as a business platform.

Healthy diet with My Fitness Pal

2007-10-17T10:07:00.000+08:00

Are you a health conscious person? Do you need help in getting your ideal weight to look good, feel good and know you live good in good health? There is this website that does the perfect job in monitoring everything so for you. It offers you insight into doing the right thing to ensure you watch your diet and calories properly. Sounds too good? Take a look at MyFitnessPal.

MyFitnessPal is not just a normal mentoring program who gives you the ordinary "what to do so i can grow thin" sutra. It grows with you, track your eating habits and lifestyles to help you achieve your desired weight. They have an easy to use calorie counter system which digest and help you meet your requirements.

A food diary ensures giving you the correct amount of calorie intake. It helps you keep track of what you are eating and suggest the best ways to eat good. It has a fun database of recipes in which you can look into for healthy eating, making your lifestyle enjoyable as you maintain your diet for the everyday refreshing lifestyle of fit living.

What I like best about MyFitnessPal is the free membership. Registering with them only helps build a good portfolio in which they help you better. On the website you can find thousands of recipes for your ideal eating, you can even upload your own recipes and eating habits, exercising tips, message boards and more.

Start your healthy living and feel yourself reborn now :)

*sponsored

Florence - A town of Artisans

2007-10-17T09:57:00.000+08:00

Dimly Lit workshops, dusty studios and narrow alleyways lie in the shadow of the Palazzo Pitti, an other-world Florence that travellers rarely see. For centuries in Oltrarno, tiny artisan businesses have been turning out first-class articles - from woven textiles to shoes of the finest leather.

There is a saying in Oltrarno. Every door opens into a craftman's workshop here. If you every need a tool or some service, all you need is to go maybe a few buildings further down.

The streets south of Arno have always been the home of craftsmen, since the 12th century. Its population bloomed when Florence city's Roman buildings no longer offered sufficient living space. Oltrarno, comprising San Frediano, Santo Spirito, and San Nicolo, became a small town in its own right, an area where newly rich merchants found the space to build gaudy palaces while artisans could go about their normal trade.

After all, Florence's well-to-do citizens needed furnitures, stucco, silverware, fabrics and frescoes. A close network of small family businesses arose that could produce anything that was need in cultivated Renaissance life and later centuries - from porcerlain and fabrics to a complete church altar.

Many artisans pass their businesses generation to generation. There are a few who made fame only recently, settlers from other cities and town. Florence offers a vibrant unique sensation in the preservation of cultures tangibly. Many of such beauties were exported to regions in Asia, London and Paris.

Torres came back to me - Baggage found

2007-10-17T09:29:00.000+08:00

found. everything intact.

torres: gran vina sol. chardonnay 2006 intact
torres: fransola sauvignon blanc 2006 intact
torres 10 years imprerial brandy intact
segura viudas: brut vintage cava intact

let me worry for few nights. Zzzz. period.

Friendsation!

2007-10-16T01:41:00.000+08:00

Have you heard of Friendsation?

Its more than just a Dating site. A Free community website that also facilitates live chat thru Live Chat thru multiple mediums.

You can sign up for free now and instant messages to other members. Members can also chat live in our online Chat room with other members. They also have a live Phone Chat for members to talk with people live all over the United States for free.

What's more, Friendsation offers personals and blogging. Everything on one site. Just like MySpace and Friendster. Crisp and Simple :)

*sponsored

The Heart Never Lies

2007-10-12T23:49:00.000+08:00

A smile, an ambrace, a sympathetic look: there are many sides to ubuntu. This humanist African philosophy is all about connections between people and explains what it means to be human.

Family. According to ubuntu, a person only becomes a person through other people. Thought, speech, considerations for others: These are all primarily learned in the family.

Ubuntu is everywhere: It is a philosophy that has to do with being "friendly, hospitable, generous, gentle, caring and compassionate...being someone who will use their strengths on behalf of others - the weak and the poor and the ill - and not take advantage of anyone," says South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu.

This African philosophy sees all people as being dependent on each other. They don't like being alone and are happiest as part of a community or group, here like a Water Splashing Festival to celebrate New Year in China by Dai People

People with ubuntu are generous and open and respect others. The individualism and competition so prevalent in daily life puts this philosophy to the test not least because many people consider each other as rivals. Lovers have it easier in this regard: young and old, married or not.

Ubuntu comes from the heart. The word originates from the African Zulus. It means humanity, compassion and public spirit, and stands for a way of life worth striving for.

Ubuntu believes that all people are connected by a universal bond. To degrade another is to degrade oneself, to love another is to love oneself.

"People with ubuntu are approachable and welcoming, their attitude is kindly and well-disposed," writes the South African archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu in his introduction to ME WE: Love, Humanity and Us, a book of Vivid, close-up portrayals of human relationships.

"They are not threatened by the goodness in others because their own esteem and self-worth is generated by knowing they belong to a greater whole.

Friendship, not hostility, compassion, not ignorance, forgiveness instead of revenge: Similarities with ubuntu can be found in many religions and philosophies, but everyday social pressures constantly put it to the test.

Desmond Tutu is convinced that by following the principles of ubuntu, people will be able to learn to resolve serious conflicts like South Africa's apartheid, which was only overcome by the power of recouncilation.

In order to regain dignity and humanity, he says, the victims have to recognise these qualities in their former oppressors.

"The solitary, isolated human being is a contradiction in terms," writes Tutu. "Because we need one another, our natural tendency is to be cooperative and helpful. If this were not true we would have died out as a species a long time ago, consumed by our own violence and hate."

Baggage Loss

2007-10-12T23:46:00.000+08:00

I encountered my first baggage loss after travelling for a year.

There's a reason why I never like to check in. Even if it's whatever you deem call it: Star Alliance. Its got nothing to do which airline or what Star Alliance at all sometimes. Just never secure because my backpack has no locks, no safety measures at all.So this time, I lost a green canvas bag, together with:
1. tommy colonge 100ml
2. 4 bottles of excellent wine from spain Torres torress toress :(
3. guo shi gai yao which belongs to mr lolli
4. all my notes from lectures
5. food.
6. toothpaste, shampoo, tooth brush
7. other things i cannot remember.

So, where does all this lead to? Its not safe to check in a normal bag nowadays if there is no bag? Or issit just depending on which country you visit? Comeon, its Europe. Not some poor country who need to TAKE daily life stuffs from strangers.. .-.even the luggage track system sucks. "still checking" "come back next time"confidence man, my friend. do your job, baggage tracking system. zZzzzZzz

Photo of the Day

2007-10-05T11:31:00.000+08:00

As I woke up and have a looka looka around the web, I found this photo online. Not much, but this photo is well cropped, lots of informations and emotions involved when one looks at it. You can see a young woman and her children of 4 perhaps escaping from something dangerous or not safe. They must have been in some form of fearful experience in which we as viewers can only guess what had happened.

Such pictures are plentiful in our Asian societies. There is no proper means of ensuring everyone has their equal rights to safety, education and escape from poverty. Even if there is, one can never measure and predict Mother Nature at well. Floods and Earthquakes, Famine and Droughts are still unfortunately the worst enemies of Man in some part of the World.

Special Olympics 2007 Official Opening Ceremony

2007-10-05T11:29:00.000+08:00

Of course, the special olympics 2007 started with not much of a hassle. Political leaders filled the arena as countries after countries paraded in the stadium in Shanghai. As I was having my meal and watching the broadcast 2 days ago and Man's place, I realise how rigid Mr W. looked when Makau, Hk and Taiwan passed by. But he beamed when PRC team walk across. Is this a sign to show that PRC cares for the people?

Many would have joked that any country with the most amount of participants have a higher percentage of "special people". I urged you to think twice again before doing so. More participants actually meant the country cared for the people, and there's nothing more to joke about.

As I see the huge mob of Americans, Taiwanese and PRC pass by Mr. W, there seem to be a tension of politics in the air. o.O

related story: Shanghai Special Olympics 2007

Archaeology digging is never always gold pots and treasures

2007-10-05T11:27:00.000+08:00

Archaeology is not always a fruitful event in which you expect to dig up valuable artifacts in which one can deem as treasures in materialistic values. People spent efforts in understanding history of mankind. Sometimes, a dig can continue without hitting into anything with value. Archaeologists, however, continue with their best efforts in finding answers of the past, even how minimal one can get out from the different layers of earth. This video clip from youtube is a good example of it all.

You don't expect all digs to be successful. Sometimes, months can go by and still remain futile. But, Archaeologists do it piece by piece so that we can always have a bigger picture of our history.

What's for dinner for tonight?

2007-10-03T15:57:00.000+08:00

Cooking today! And I have no idea whether it will turn out fine. Perhaps there might extra food cooked, lack of giving face perhaps? But by all means, ~~I cannot possibly make everyone happy anyway.~~

Tonight's Dinner Menu:

1. Curry Chicken, south east Asian style, oooyeah.
2. Ginger with Pork slices in Mushroom sauced garnish
3. Fish Ball Soup
4. Friend Long Beans with dried shrimps
5. Mesh Potato with finely chopped German sausages

and beer, and time spending with lovely people.
Cheers to this long lovely holiday presented by the PRC.

FINDING YOUR IDEAL ACCOMODATION WHENEVER YOU TRAVEL

2007-10-03T00:53:00.000+08:00

Need a Hotel? Not sure how to book one online? As I was browsing through the net, I found it pretty difficult to gather information on where to travel cheap(with the GFW blocking images makes it worse). One of the problem is that you will tend to find information scattered in different places. For example: accomodations website has only bookings for hotels, motels, resorts. What about booking a car, buying a flight, or just plainly looking for extra information in regard to the destination you want to go to? One company and website that helps to simplify this process and reduce the stress of planning a vacation is HotelReservations.com.

When you get into this website, the first niche you will love is the ability to use a translation tool equip inside the site to help you access the language you are most native to. It guides you smoothly in finding the the right travel you want. Whether it is a beautiful trip to Argentina, or see European Splendor in Spain, its all right in the click of your fingers. You can start finding cheap hotels by doing nothing more than filling out some basic information. You simply tell it the city you’ll be vacationing in, your check-in and check-out dates, how many adults will be present, and how many rooms are needed. After clicking search, you’re immediately on your way to finding that one hotel that’s going to seal the vacation deal. Viola~

Is the website competitive in pricing? I did a search in Shanghai, China. The search seriously match to prices here. Of course there are local budgets only the locals know, but by doing so might mean you need to share your hotels with constructions workers, immigrants from other cities and other unknown people. It all depends whether you come to enjoy or you are backpacking. Using HotelReservations.com proves to be safer and cheaper for an enjoyable experience. Besides, the site offers many information in regard to destinations you want to go to. So it helps to get yourself right before moving.

HotelReservations.com act like a one-stop portal in which you can make travel arrangements with an airline as well as transportation arrangements with local car rental companies in the city you’re visiting. So, you’re not limited to only saving money on your hotel reservations, HotelReservations.com will also make sure that you save the most money possible getting to your vacation destination in addition to the transportation costs while on vacation.

The site is also credit card secured. With its clean outlook and ease in finding information. I can’t really say anything bad about HotelReservations.com. They do nothing more than save you as much money as possible and make you feel comfortable while planning your vacation. And really, that’s all that people are looking for these days. Why bother with a website that’s going to be a complete hassle trying to plan a vacation? HotelReservations.com is the absolute way to go.

Link to HotelReservations.com here: Hotel Reservations

Note: this is a sponsored post.

Special Olympics 2007

2007-10-01T15:05:00.000+08:00

The special olympics 2007 is here. And this time, Special Olympics will be held in Shanghai.Almost 7,500 athletes from more than 160 nations will compete against each other in a variety of sports from October 2 until October 11.

"The central government has declared the Special Olympics in Shanghai and the Olympic Games in Beijing as the most important sports events of the next two years," said Tang Xiaoquan, vice president of China's Association for the Physically and Mentally Impaired.

China's international reputation has recently suffered considerably because of a lack of press freedom, reports of hacker attacks originating from the country and hazardous products.

Furthermore, China has been heavily criticised about its treatment of citizens with intellectual disabilities, who are often confined in psychiatric facilities and sedated with medication.

Pictures of labourers, some of them mentally impaired, being practically enslaved in Chinese brick factories were distributed around the globe.

Now China is apparently striving to correct this gruesome impression.

Dongtan - Shanghai's contributions to Eco-greening

2007-10-01T15:03:00.000+08:00

Shanghai has established a new Nature Reserve in Nanhui District, Dongtan Area. It is the first nature reserve establish in Shanghai. Measuring 40.3km, it will be a sanctuary for many birds like white cranes and little stints. China, in recent years has been rapidly taking up steps in ensuring its cultural and natural heritage are protected. However, lack of funds and public support allowed private sectors to damage many heritages that will be never replacable.

Myanmar Protests Blogs

2007-10-01T14:57:00.000+08:00

For those who might want to keep tracks of the recent events that happened in Myanmar, there are certain blogs worth reading. Here goes:

burmesedayze.blogspot.com
www.xanga.com/dawn_1o9
ko-htike.blogspot.com

I will have to say that the links might not be working, even banned. It should be to the discretion of anyone who wants to view information to check up and update.

Monks lead largest Myanmar Protests III

2007-10-01T14:55:00.000+08:00

This is another footage on Monks leading against the Myanmar Government for reform and democracy. It is actually a form of engaged buddhism.

Engaged Buddhism is a term originally coined by Vietnamese Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. During the Vietnam War, he and his sangha (spiritual community) made efforts to respond to the suffering they saw around them. They saw this work as part of their meditation and mindfulness practice, not apart from it. Since then, the term continues to apply to Buddhists who are seeking ways to apply the insights from meditation practice and dharma teachings to situations of social, political, and economic suffering and injustice.

Organizations such as the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists are devoted to building the movement of engaged Buddhists. Other engaged Buddhist groups include the Zen Peacemakers Sangha, led by Roshi Bernard Glassman, the Benevolent Organisation for Development, Health and Insight, Gaden Relief Projects, Amida Trust and Tzu Chi. Prominent figures in the movement include Robert Aitken Roshi, Joanna Macy, Gary Snyder, Alan Senauke, Sulak Sivaraksa Maha Ghosananda, Sylvia Wetzel, Diana Winston, Fleet Maull, Joan Halifax and Ken Jones.

Books you can buy:
Burma: The State of Myanmar
Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia
The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World
Not Turning Away: The Practice of Engaged Buddhism

Monks lead largest Myanmar Protests II

2007-10-01T14:53:00.000+08:00

This is a recent footage of the demonstrations started of my Buddhist Monks in Myanmar, hoping to receive democracy and an end to the dictatorship in Myanmar.

This current event could tell us a little on the origin of Buddhism. We can analyze and say that Buddhism is not just an individual need for psychological salvation. Buddhism might have start off as a religion serving to the needs in social issues. It might have been a case in which the monks holding power in the region are active in political activities, faces against political resistance, actualizing their beliefs socially through social movements.

The essential start was to liberate people and enlighten people, not to present a conceptual doctrine or philosophy.

Books you can buy:
Burma: The State of Myanmar
Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia
The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World
Not Turning Away: The Practice of Engaged Buddhism

Monks lead largest Myanmar Protests

2007-10-01T14:51:00.000+08:00

The last movement that happened in Myanmar when the public outcry a demonstration for democracy to the government happened in 8th August 1988. Many remembered this event as the four 8 movement.

It was viewed a tragedy. About 3000 people were killed by the government when military used brutal forces to curb the situation. Most of the people died in the event were university students. Militants also surrounded Buddhist Temples in order to captures monks who were politically active in the event.

Exactly after 19 years, Myanmar again hold a demonstration, hoping to achieve democracy. Many viewed this event as futile and only hope there will be no genocide happening. This is the largest demonstration that happened in Myanmar with 100,000 people in protest.

Buddhist monks marching in protest against the military government in Yangon, Myanmar.
source:(AP Photo)

Books you can buy:
Burma: The State of Myanmar
Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia
The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World
Not Turning Away: The Practice of Engaged Buddhism

No Time for your media updates? Critics Rants solve it for you

2007-09-29T09:03:00.000+08:00

Everyday, we are going through a series of events in life which might left us breathless by the end of the day. You go home feeling shagged and drained. For many, we chose to let the remaining hours our day to be as simple as possible, with as little hassles as possible.

Finding information online can be a hassle. You can always end up in the wrong place with the wrong information you want. Especially if you are looking for media information on reviews of movies and tv shows. Most of the time when you google, you will end up with news on scandalous activities of movie stars. But not on Critics Rant.

CriticsRant.com is a movies, tv shows and video games review site. It keep you in touch with the newest movies, serials, and video games in the market. I find the website clear and concise. Many people participate in sharing their opinions, ensuring the site to be alive.

You can choose to register with the site. It will send you daily emails on movie reviews and such to keep you updated on what to watch, what's good, what's worth it. What's more, by participating and giving your opinions, you might even win something free like DVDs!

So, what are you waiting for? Visit Critics Rant now.

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Yuan Shi-Kai and Warlord Politics II

2007-09-28T16:51:00.000+08:00

Death of Yuan generated cenifugal forces and lead to 2 parrallel developments.
- Provincial military powerholders undermined the central powers and strengthened the forces of regionalism
- Monarchial movement and the rise of the warlordism heightened the sense of urgency among the intellectuals to find a new solution to China's problems

Conflicts between Li Yuanhong and Duan Qirui(Prime Minister, controlled Beiyang's Army)
- Issues of Joining World War I by Duan Qirui, in order to gain support from Japan for funds to increase Military Power in China
- Li obstructed Duan and dismissed Duan in May 1917
- Li sought military assistance from Zhang Xun, Governor of Anhui, causing Qing Dynasty to be restored on 1st July 1917, lasting 12 days
- Duan took the opportunity and overthrowed Li.

Warlord Period 1917-1927
- One government in Beijing under Duan's Control from 1917-1920
- One government in Guangzhou; Sun established a military government to start the Constitutional Protection Movement
- Warlords from different backgrounds and abilities; all seeking different purposes for China
- Army increased from 500,000 in 1914 to 900,000 in 1920 and increased to 1,500,000 in 1925
- 179 wars were fought from 1912-1922
- 46 cabinets during 1912-1927, politics not stable

Beiyang commanders split into 2 warring factions.
- Anhui's Clique under Duan Qirui, 1917-1920
- Zhili's Clique under Feng Guo Zhang, later Cao Kun and Wu Peifu controlling Beijing from 1920-1924
- Fengtian Clique under Zhang Zuolin dominated Beijing after 1924

Yuan Shi-Kai and Warlord Politics I

2007-09-28T16:18:00.000+08:00

After the establishment of the Republic; War of the Warlords

Yuan Shi-Kai lead to voluntary acceptance of the Republic by the Manchurians. He pledged his support to the repubic as the "Best Form of State", leading to the end of the Imperial administraion and monarchial system. Reasons that allowed him to come into power even though he was just a provincial president, was because he carries out the proper steps in ensuring China become Republic. Many view Sun Yet-Sen as an idealist and impractical. Yuan also controlled a vast military power in Northen China.

Power in which a prime minister hold, Yuan as provincial president do not control:
- take charge of political affairs- served as commander-in-chief of army and navy
- authorised to appoint ministers and diplomatic envoys
- entitled to declare war, negotiate peace, sign treaties
- Check were necessary by Senate's approval, curbing Yuan's full control in power

Yuan's Conflicts with the Revolutionaries
- Location of the Capital. Nanking or Beijing
- Sharing Power with the Cabinet(Tang Shaoyi, China's 1st Prime Minister, leading to the resignation of Tang Shaoyi in June 1912
- Torn between Legislations; supportors do not support Yuan, view him as a Tyrant
- Revolution Alliance absorbed four other political groups and reorganised as the National Party(GuoMingDang)
- Sun still supreme leader; de facto leader Song Jiaren
- Assasination of Song Jiaren by Yuan Shi-Kai
- 125 Million Dollars Loan for re-organisation of military power and authority control, borrowed from 5 powers consortium
- Yuan's action lead and resulted to the 2nd Revolution in 1913

Yuan's gradual step to dismantle the constitutional structure
- Forced the Parliament to elect him as President in Oct 1913
- Endorsed the dissolvement of National Party in Jan 1914
- arrested National Party Members in Beijing- Extended presidential term to 10 years, made president renewable by re-election with limit and have personal right to nominate his succesor in Dec 1914
- Engaged foreign advisors on governmental affairs (Frank Goodnow)
- Became the Emperor of China in December 1915

Yuan as Emperor
- Approved majority of 21 damands by Japan for specials rights in China; sign agreement with Russia in relation to Mongolia; Britain in Tibet
- His ambition brought forth the wrath of many to fall upon him
- The National Protection Army led by Cai Er ignited the National Protection Movement against Yuan (Yun Nan)
- Guizhou also cried out for independence soon after
- Military Affairs council formed by various council provinces against him
- Deserted by his Henchmen and overcome with shame and anxiety, Yuan suddenly died on June 6, 1916
- Yuan's Dynasty only lasted for 82 Days

related books:
China: Its History and Culture (4th Edition) (Paperback)
The Rise of Modern China (Paperback)
China's Republic (New Approaches to Asian History) (Hardcover)
China and the Origins of the Pacific War, 1931-41 (Paperback)

Basic Principles of Field Archaeology

2007-09-25T13:49:00.000+08:00

1. What is Field Archaeology?

Field Archaeology is the research and study of History through actual field study on site visit, retreiving data in the from site for multiple studies usage. Ancient monuments, relicsm artifacts can exists in various forms. They can be exposed above the ground, buried or even hidden beneath the waters. In order to be understood by us humans, and function as a service for easier studies and understanding of the past, Field Archaeology uses scientific approaches in finding, excavating, identifying, researching, searching and recording such outfield activities. The process will then be properly sorted out, publicise and publish out for the public, researchers and the scientists.

One must also take note the following terms in archaeology:

Relics are movable objects from the pasts. They were created by Man for certain usages in their aspects of life.

Monuments are immovable objects. Monuments are architectural. They can be walls, towers, aquaducts or any other forms built by ancient man.

Artifacts are objects found that could be used at that period of time for certain activities. Artifacts could be in the form of food, seashells, animal bones, ashes.

With the proper scientific approach when excavating, we can access and understand how the people in the past live and function in their daily life.

The role of Field Archaeology is the searching for data, such data which could help in researching and understanding the historical advancement of man. Such data are left down by Man in the forms of Relics and Monuments. We must also understanding there is a close connection and influence of the geographical data and artifacts found on site dug out which could tell us a bigger picture of what is going on in the past. Artifacts dug out like animals bones, sea shells, soil specimens and pollen could tell us what kind of main activities affect the lifestyle of Man at the period. Such searching and excavation for data is cross-disciplinary and diverse: it can be in the form of housings, farms, burial sites; it can be also in the form of musical instruments, military weapons, art objects used in daily life, material wise is can be made known more from created pieces, undone pieces or rubbish of the past; or data can be collected as a whole civilisation, a town, a city, canals, to the smallest specimen of seeds, fauna, and insects. Field Archaeology's significance determination is depending on how well acccessed and recording and dissemination of their findings is done. The better and more data collected, information can be processed for further knowledge of the past to be formed.

2. Fieldwork activities and approach

The activities in Field Archaeology can be in the forms of site study and research, excavation and sorting out of data(cleaning). These are the basics of work carried out. We should take note that during the studies and excavation of fieldwork, we should not damage or destroy the existing relic, monument and artifacts on site. From the activities carried out, there should be proper site study, recording, proper choosing and collection of data found via excavation through the foundation and concept that we will and should preserve and protect our findings. Excavation work is through digging process, we show out the excavated site and monument, collect relics and recording of all phenomenons found. Cleansing is the process in which we pieces out and show relics as their original form. Many a times during excavation, due to the geographical factors of site, relics and monuments found are never wholly in one piece. That is why cleansing is a very important process in which archaeologist do to make known their findings to the public. One must also take note that there should minimal damage during cleansing, and activities carried out during cleansing can be reversible and not permanent fixtures to findings.

3. Archaeological work process

Archaelogical work preparation can be identified as 4 processes: preparation, fieldwork, indoor classfication and analysis of findings, publishing or field report findings.

4. Professional qualities needed by Field Archaeologists

Field Archaeologists should be healthy and fit for outfield work.
Uphold and have professional practices and ethics in findings.
Adept in the practices and knowlege in field archaeolgical practices.
Familiar with previous archaeological reports and findings of work.
Diverse and wide general knowledge.
Adept in archaeological needs in photography, measurement, video production for recording purposes.

Questions:
1. Explain the concept in artifacts, relics and monuments.
2. What are the various process in archaeological work?
3. As Field Archaeologists, what are the professional qualities needed?
4. Why do we say that field archaeology is the basic activities for collectiing of scientific data, as while as the first step in the scientific research and study of ancient artifacts?
5. Why is writing an archaeological report the role of Field Archaeology?

Reading Materials:
《考古工作手册》，中国社科院考古研究所编，文物出版社， 1982 年。
Time, Process and Structured Transformation in Archaeology (One World Archaeology)
Archaeology in Practice: Archaeological
Excavation (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)
The Archaeologist's Fieldwork Companion
The Archaeology Handbook: A Field Manual and Resource Guide
Field Methods in Archaeology
Sampling in Archaeology (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology)

Bai Han Lou - Tibetan-Catholic Community in Isolation

2007-09-25T13:46:00.000+08:00

In Baihanlou, an isolated village in the Nu River Valley, located in the northwest corner of Yunnan Province, lies an isolated Tibetan-Catholic community and their long, lasting blend og religions. It is interesting to note that how this Tibetan-Catholic community has survive for so long unmolested. One could only wonder if this was a miracle worked by means unknown.

During the 1800s, French missionaries came and converted a small part of the pop in Tibet to Christianity. Baihanlou is a beautiful mountain village nestled in the foothills of the Tibetan plateau. At night, one can hear the river faintly in the distance. In this part of the world, nature and people seem uninterrupted.

Entering the centre of the village, a 130-year-old Catholic Church stood stark white from the back and sides, but the front is Chinese Pagoda style with a wooden winged tips on either side of the building darkly painted in blues and fadings reds. The Entire Village is involved in the church from birth till death - when they are not farming for their livelihood, they are praying in unison. When they are not praying, they are farming.

Entering the humble church, bare wood beams make up the basic structure of the interior. Three exposed light bulbs provides all the light needed. On the left hand side of the church are pictures of Jesus carrying his cross with Roman soldiers whipping him, to the right there are three large windows facing west. Each pillar of wood extends from the floor to the ceiling and has various carvings, some inscriptions read, "We will follow you Jesus." At the front of the church is a small and humble altar, decorated with artificial flowers in bright reds and pinks, beside it is a life-size marble statute of Virgin Mary.

Attending mass, one can notice directly how devoted the villagers are. Prayers continue almost uninterrupted, as if a perfect routine is already in place. The minister doesn't speak to or direct his flock in any way. Their prayers are in their bones, from the small children to the weather-beaten faces of the elderly, the community moves and prays together as one. They do not participate in the Vatican's strict Catholicism, but rather their own religion that part of the this community's traditions that has been passed on for generations - it is their way of life.

The villagers called themselves Catholic, but as they sit and kneel in prayer, there is nothing typically Catholic about them. The chanting, or praying, is deeply moving and incredibly unique and is combined with a small head bobbing. Every once in a while there is prostration where everyone kneels and touches their head to the ground. There are hints of Buddhism, Islam and Catholicism all wrapped up into one single mass.

And then suddenly, it all stopped.

In an orderly manner, everyone rises from the low wooden benches and exits the church. No words have been exchanged, the community seems to live in silence after they are through chanting their prayers.

A small, poor Tibetan community chanting Catholic prayers before and after a long day of farming. How had Catholicism lasted so long in such an isolated environment? But that was just it, isolation is the answer.

reading materials:
China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society
Religion and Biography in China and Tibet

AShop Commerce US

2007-09-25T13:35:00.000+08:00

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TERRACOTTA WARRIORS INVADING LONDON SOON

2007-09-09T22:29:00.000+08:00

The 8,000 soldiers of the terracotta army, meant to protect China’s Emperor Qin Shihuang in the afterlife, had been buried for more than 2,000 years before their discovery by farmers in 1974. Now they’re on the move again, at least some of them who are heading towards London for a major exhibition at the British Museum. The show will run for seven months, beginning on September 13, and 30,000 tickets have already been sold.

Over 120 loan objects from China's Museum of Terra-cotta Army will be shown this autumn in a major British Museum exhibition which features China's first emperor.

This loan exhibition "First Emperor: China's Terra-cotta Army", scheduled to run seven months from Sept. 13 this year to April 6 of next year, will feature the largest group of material from the tomb of the First Emperor to be loaned abroad.

This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition will explore one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and provide an insight into China's First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, and his legacy.

Objects featured in the exhibition will include a number of the world-famous terracotta warriors from Xi'an, China, which were buried alongside the First Emperor in readiness for the afterlife, as well as some of the most striking recent discoveries made on the site.

In introducing the idea of a unified state and effectively creating China in 221 BC, the First Emperor of Qin created what is today the oldest surviving political entity in the world. How that state has survived, developed and is viewed today will be explored through events, lectures and debates around the exhibition.

source: all images from OnAsia Images
photographer: Natalie Behring

Is English difficult to understand?

2007-09-08T12:24:00.000+08:00

I woke up today wondering about English? What about English? As a Chinese, sadly, my mother tongue is not Mandrin. As a Hainanese, sadly, I cannot fluently speak my native dialect. However, I can listen and speak English with ease. Why so?

Here's the situation.

Last night, after having a walk out with Teng and having dinner with her ( I needed it badly, for the whole week, there seems to be little "just 2 of us" time alone ) we came back home to anticipate what normal people just wanted, time alone. We tried to watch just a couple of serials or movies together. One thing struck down hard: There were no sub-titles in the movies watched.

Girl Interupted, and some Singapore Made Movie by Eric Neo, starring Fann Wong and Gurmit Singh.

It was not really enjoyable, as there seems to be a lack of anticipation and enjoyment in watching. I can feel her anger and distress in not able to understand the movie and enjoying it.

Maybe I am being selfish, Maybe I need to fix problems and help her. But English, I was not born knowing it. I only had the environment in which I grew up hearing it more often, with different slangs and variations and tones in speaking it.

Similarly, when Teng was doing her internship weeks ago and part of her job let her met up with some Philiphino Big shot from the Government Sector, her collegues faced the same problem of not understanding what the individual is saying because of the accent. It was not a problem in written english, lack of command in language or small vocabulary capacity. It's due to just a simple thing: Accent

In China, many people do not understand each other just because Mandrin was not spoken properly.

So, can English be universal? Or must it remain so sad that if you study the Americans, you can only understand the Americans? And the whole population of Europeans, when they speak up, you face problems in understanding them?

Yes, people, I am speaking about you all. Full of excuses people. The new Generations who boomed in the new age. No more excuses. Lift up your ears and Listen. Its easier than you think.

School Term started; will I be able to graduate on time?

2007-09-08T12:22:00.000+08:00

School started for a week.

What did I do during these holidays?

No work. No job.

I went to Guangzhou. Took a bus down with Teng to HongKong.

When I got back, Mid August went down to Hei Long Jiang with Song Bai Hua

I moved house. I am living in the city now. French concession Area. Its a lovely district. Just somehow, you start to realise you dun belong really in here. Everyone looks rich and properly civalised. I look more like some beggar who somehow got himself into Sunset Boulevard.

I did not manage to go to Greece as planned.

My Star Alliance Gold Card will expire Feb 2008. There was no imput of any mileage since October 2006.

Guess I will lose the Card soon no matter what.

Meanwhile I hope those points i accumulated will still be on time for a trip next year to Greece. I will take a gamble, and book 2 tickets there. Whether a not, I am going, that is another story.

About the trip to Hong Kong and Harbin, I will write about it when I am more clear-headed. I am depressed. Somehow.

Edgar might be coming to Shanghai this October/November. He will not be coming in for the Special Olympics as planned. I wonder whether he will be comfortable sleeping on the couch in my living room. Bad ventilation, and most probably a cold period as Autumn breaks into Winter. Shanghai is a bloody cold place. No central heating system. We all just freeze like chickens in freezers.

Star Alliance Gold: Will you be able to choke out 50,000 mileage points before Feb 2008 miraculously? o.O

Baidu TV Advertisement

2007-07-28T12:02:00.000+08:00

negara kuku

2007-07-26T03:34:00.000+08:00

Code of Ethics: Museum Management

2007-07-18T01:11:00.000+08:00

Introduction

Museum management is a profession in which offers more than just a junkyard for storage of old relics in a hidden wardrobe. The concept that museum is a storage place for objects are slowly being replaced by a recreation space, research centre, knowledge centre. Museums are not just repositories. They are places where collections are interpreted for the public through exhibits and related educational programs. How museums interpret their collections changes over time with the emergence of new techniques, scholarship, and viewpoints.

In accordance, museum management must follow a code of ethics in or order to achieve their goals at the end, forming a clear and transparent voice in which the public can gain awareness to what they are doing.

Professional ethics per se consists in searching for common answers to the questions everyone encounters in his or her professional practice, notably to those questions that cannot be answered by turning to existing rules and regulations or to the general norms prevailing in the community. Professional ethics presupposes the existence of an identifiable profession, but at the same time contributes to define a profession.

Museum ethics is a form of professional ethics. Professional ethics is the offshoot of general moral norms adopted by members of the same profession, who may be identified as a group. Strictly speaking ethics is concerned with theory, which is, contemplating as to what is right and just in a given situation.

The International Council of Museums defines the museum profession under article 5 of its Statutes as consisting of 'all of the personnel of museums or related institutions who have received a specialized technical or academic training or who possess an equivalent practical experience, and who respect a fundamental code of professional ethics'. In this respect it is important to note that many codes attempt to define the museum profession by putting up a partition against closely related fields of activity with conflicting interests, such as (art) trade. Museum codes unanimously exclude art trade from the museum profession.

Summary

Set Sail and Collect like pirates
Museums must be aware that in an age where information is exploding as an accelerated level. They cannot readily without judgement increase their threshold of collections quickly.

Many museums faces financial crisis in which is due to their management of collections. Facing difficulties, one can make uncertain judgements in which affects the trusts of the public.

In United States, The Milwaukee Art Museum, the museum has at least a $20 million shortfall that is forcing it to pursue something virtually unheard of in the art world -- offering up its collection as a guarantee for a loan. In Arizona, The $1 million sale of museum artifacts by a financially troubled museum in northern Arizona is sending shock waves through Utah's own museum community and leading to concerns the same thing could happen to cash-strapped museums.

This approach would violate ethical standards of the Association of Art Museum Directors, whose published guidelines caution that "the collections a museum holds in public trust do not represent financial assets that may be converted to cash for operating or capital costs or pledged as collateral for loans."

Collections are looted internationally
The J Paul Getty Museum, one of the world's largest and best endowed art collections, faces a fresh blow to its reputation following the publication of internal documents suggesting it ignored warnings that up to half of its highest profile antiquities acquisitions were looted from ruins in Italy. Know as early as 1985.

Sellers based in Thailand and Singapore are selling parts from Angkor Wat Temple, Cambodia - the two countries in South East Asia which have not been signatory to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. It is suspected that most artifacts illegally excavated by looters around Asia are transited through Singapore and Bangkok. In such, it raises controversy in which how governments could allow loopholes to take place, allowing such criminal activities to transact.

Even British Museum faces international furor in which most of their collections come from looting and plundering that took place during their Britain’s empire.

A profession has the responsibility to take the lead in setting the ethical standards by which its members are governed. The museum profession should set the example for governments, private collectors, and dealers with respect to all museum collections. This includes incorporating into museum acquisition policies the sense of such international conventions as the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property

Preservation of Collections
Preservation work in a museum is deem as the essence in which collections will sustain through time and proven a valuable asset to the public. Conservators in Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge face a huge dilemma
when a visitor tripped and fell down the stairs, smashing into three 17th century Chinese vases worth 500,000 pounds. The vases were smashed into hundreds of pieces. Conservators decided to repair the artifacts and showpiece them in relation to problems faced by museum professionals in handling exhibitions and caring of collections.

However, conservation practices vary across the world. In certain codes, restoration and conservation works are to be reached through minimal changes under conditions that collections are irreversible once changes are made to it. In china, many museums without following doctrines altered their collections in order to boost collections that are ready to be exhibited. Much of the time, porcelains were painted directly; causing damages in the long run, due to the chemistry involved causing burn and tears to the relics.

However, many museums around the world face the same issues daily: lack of funds. Without proper professional training of staffs and usage of technology to prevent the definite erosion of relics, many museums face uncertainty in their collections.

Museum is community.
Many times, we cannot reject the fact that the museums are serving the public and not a stand alone institution in which they can overwrite decisions. However, curators run a difficult situation in which decision made by the boards overwrite proper managements. Many a times, museums face problems that were accumulated through bad managements by boards. The public does not know of the activities within the museums until actions were taken. We can see clearly from the restoration of the lake in Yuan Ming Yuan, Beijing, as well as other museums which sell their collections without the consent of the public. Much of the time, public furors were splashed forward, causing scandals to be made known by the media.

Conclusion

Museums should have a proper standard operating procedures in which interactivity between the institution be made known.

The museum should made public that they are holders of the countries’ collections in trusts on behalf of the public/society. Relics and collections are reversible and irreplaceable. Once lost, the national identity in which the dissemination of knowledge will be much aggravated.

Museums should focus on public service, bringing in communication at levels in which transparency can take place. With public service offered at a higher level, museums can expect better performances through visits and interaction with the community. This will help to encourage people to explore collections for inspirations, learning and enjoyment.

Museums should also consult and involve communities, users and supporters. This way, the museums can understand how they can improve the situations. At the same time, the public will be more will informed of the situations in which the museums face.

Museums should acquire items honestly and responsibly. This could prevent unwanted loss of collections and public shame. In the Cases of looting, Museums should readily adopt new policies in which to put a curb to unwanted trading to take place in the future. While it seems unlikely that these cases will be settled anytime soon, there is a growing trend among museums to return art objects and artifacts to their countries of origin after ascertaining that the works were stolen. They should safeguard the long term public interest in the collections. Guidelines stipulated should show that curators should "respect the interests" of the communities from which objects of cultural value originate. And in an implicit admission of the dubious nature of some past acquisitions, it urges them to recognize that others may have a "stronger claim to certain items" than themselves. As the saying goes: “We are to be a repository for artifacts, not a clearinghouse,"

In order to improve situations, many museums stood down guidelines such as: reinvigorate thinking about the process of creating exhibitions, establish a system for regularly reviewing exhibition planning guidelines in order to gain a better stand or what and how they manage their collections and museums.

Museums should also recognise the interests of the people who made, used, owned, collected or gave items in the collections. Collections do not belong to one man’s decision board. The people involved should also have a say, especially donors. One would not like to see what was donated to be sold due to financial problems face. In doing so, it is best to identify accountability at all levels of the Institution to adhere from mistakes.

In conclusion, As Sinatra sang, "you can't have one without the other." Ethically, a museum must know and face what its actions have upon the public. Even so, it is not as simple as that. Collections are never permanent. It is always a fight against time before they disintegrate. That is the reason why Museum managers as professionals should always consider ethically what their actions will do and hold responsible for the future generations of museum professionals, the public and the nation.

Review: Looking to start E-commerce with ease?

2007-07-18T00:33:00.000+08:00

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Zhang Jianhua's Coal Mine Workers

2007-07-15T03:11:00.000+08:00

In Beijing, one cannot miss going to Great Wall of China, The Tian An Men Square, the forbidden city, the summer palace. In the other part of Beijing, the little known area in which Chinese Contemporary Art thrive and a must to visit for art lovers is the 798 factory. Many post cultural revolution Chinese artists host their art works there. However, even though so, many artists reknown internationally still remain ambigous to the locals. Such is the case for Zhang Jianhua, whose sculpture works are disturbing and profound, especially those he made: life size sculptures of Chinese coal miners

His life works depicts depict miners sitting on the ground in their black rubber boots wearing looks of sheer fatigue. Some stare blankly into the distance or prop up their heads with both hands, their faces fixed in nameless agony. Although seeing it, one might not feel any connection to it without before hand understanding the social issues in China, in which coal miners die in the thousand annually due to the hazardous working environment and poor safety issues. Little do the locals look upon the sculptures with interests, and silently, it also symbolizes the problems coal miners face in modern China, making them silent victims to disasters little known to people. Or simply, not many care about them.

The works of Zhang, now in his mid thirties, received many critical praises from the art industry. However, locally, no Chinese museum or established gallery is willing to take in his display of the coal miners entirety, even though he insists, due to the controversy and troubles it might bring from the local authorities. This can be seen clearly when his works was exhibited in 798 factory during April this year, but demanded by the censors to remove the six dead coal mine workers out of the show. They just do not wish to see it somehow.

If you look at it in a picture most Chinese in this era want to depict a progressive China, full of smiles and great improvements. No one like to look at the ugly side being depicted. Everything is good and merry, the air is tinged and filled with love songs. There is nothing "wrong" with China. ~~There is no bubble reality at all.~~

Officially, 4,794 coal miners died in work-related accidents in China last year - more than 13 every day, on average, though many believe the official figures understate the real toll. But Zhang's temerity in representing the victims has won his work what might be called a soft ban.

And Zhang is not aiming to criticize the authorities. He would just like to see that from his works, he can change and affect the society, gaining awareness from the public, in which changes can happen to make his belove country more open and transparents about making changes possible, not with empty promises and propaganda. Everyone should know what is going on in the country. The thing is, a large majority do know, but they choose to leap into a safety zone of "i fuck care as long nothing disturb me" attitude.

Personally, I think people outside of China are more interested with the Chinese Contemporary Artists than the locals. If these artists did not gain International attention when they exhibited their works overseas, pressures forced upon China internationally, a lucrative art market in which China wants to put his paws upon, and also because of the WTO few years back, the voice of the artists locally will still remain unclear throughout the country.

more about the artist, extract

The artist's first taste of successful shock realism came with another series of sculptures four years ago in which he depicted the lives of peasants from his native Henan Province. The 12 figures in that series included an elderly woman sitting alone, threadbare migrant workers and rural schoolteachers.

The work drew critical praise when it was introduced at a gallery in Beijing. But when the show began touring other venues in the capital that year, displayed on the grounds of two middle-class housing developments and at China Agricultural University, it drew strong protests, with residents and students attacking it as vulgar, striking the artist and knocking over some of the figures.

The university exhibition had to be canceled after only two hours.

"These were beggars," said one commentator in a school newspaper. "It's sick." Another complained that "rural areas have progress, too, why not show that?"

Zhang's choice of topics is not the only thing that sets him apart from many contemporaries. He said that to prepare for his miner series, he made numerous trips to the coal country in Shanxi and Henan provinces, living with miners for weeks at a time, soaking up their hard-knocks culture while simultaneously observing the lives of the illegal mine owners, with their flashy, sudden wealth.

The artist grew particularly animated as he described the scenes of lavish weddings organized for the daughters of coal mine owners in Datong, one of China's most famous mining towns, of motorcades of stretched Cadillacs and Hummers and Mercedes-Benzes, festively honking their horns. "This is the kind of ostentation they want," he said. "Yet underneath the wheels are piles of white bones and pools of fresh blood."

For his next project, clearly another effort at unveiling a ubiquitous but officially invisible social problem, Zhang said he planned to portray the country's large numbers of prostitutes. "Not the prostitutes of the rich, but the ordinary, working-class prostitutes, who live in very difficult conditions."

Weird buns that we put in our stomarchs...

2007-07-14T03:07:00.001+08:00

Makers of the fake buns said they did not think customers could tell the difference

What is happening in China? There are a series of scandals in reactions to food management. Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), was executed on Tuesday for taking some $850,000 in bribes in return for approving the use of certain medicines.

Now, CCTV reported that in Beijing, people are selling buns mixed with up to 60% in content of waste paper cupboard with fatty meat, arousing safety alerts on what consumers should really expect the government do to deal with such unethical actions.

Few weeks ago, reports indicate that there were new examples of dangerous or below standard Chinese products being circulated globally for daily usage – from toxic toothpaste to children's toys painted with lead-based paint.

This brought about international outcry on countries pressuring China to enforce further measures to curb such incidents from happening.

Seriously, what is going on with the people in China. I do not think its a government issue. Rather, what is wrong with the people? As long can make money, as long they can earn, many can resort to doing such wrongs in which they can harm the majority of people; dead chickens, waste water pigs, fermented tofu in waste water, now what, buns..

My mindset now: fuck care what's the content. The less you know, the easier you can eat your meal in China now. Totally no security to the soul.. eat just because you need to eat, not because you enjoy...Zzzz

quoted:

The bao zi filling was made with 60% of waste paper materials

In the case of the fake buns the CCTV reporters used hidden cameras to show the lengths the bao zi producers were going to in order to cut costs.

To get the right consistency the cardboard was shown being soaked in caustic soda, a poisonous industrial solvent.

The owners told the reporter they then mixed it with about 40 per cent fatty meat and the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate before selling the bao zi in nearby markets.

Despite discrepancies in colour and texture, the bun makers - who were shown wearing little more than boxer shorts and flip-flops - said they did not believe customers are able to tell the difference.

"Do you eat them?" the CCTV reporter asked the factory owner.

"No, I don't eat them," he replied.

The New Seven Wonders of the World

2007-07-09T19:00:00.000+08:00

The New Seven Wonders of the World was announced on 07.07.07 at Portugal. Concurrently, Live Earth was broad casted in various places such as Shanghai, Tokyo, London,etc.

The Wonders were chosen through an Internet voting system. You can say it's voted by the people. However, many people around the world does not have access to the Internet, thus making the voting system unfair. The new selection of the wonders remains an issue of controversial values. Rumors said that people were paid to cast votes. Whatever it is, its still worth celebrating. We just hope that these new wonders can withstand time and the strains cause by tourism in which such monuments will be worn down faster, and polluted by the foils of man.

Egypt's Pyramids is the only survivor of the past Wonders listed.

Wah, lucky those ugly modern monuments did not get inside the choice. Or else even more controversy man!

Great Wall of China, China
The Great Wall of China was built to link existing fortifications into a united defense system and better keep invading Mongol tribes out of China. It is the largest man-made monument ever to have been built and it is disputed that it is the only one visible from space. Many thousands of people must have given their lives to build this colossal construction.

Taj Mahal, India
This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.

Petra, Jordan
On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). Masters of water technology, the Nabataeans provided their city with great tunnel constructions and water chambers. A theater, modelled on Greek-Roman prototypes, had space for an audience of 4,000. Today, the Palace Tombs of Petra, with the 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery, are impressive examples of Middle Eastern culture.

The Colosseum, Rome
This great amphitheater in the centre of Rome was built to give favors to successful legionnaires and to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire. Its design concept still stands to this very day, and virtually every modern sports stadium some 2,000 years later still bears the irresistible imprint of the Colosseum's original design. Today, through films and history books, we are even more aware of the cruel fights and games that took place in this arena, all for the joy of the spectators.

Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
This statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski, it is one of the world’s best-known monuments. The statue took five years to construct and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931. It has become a symbol of the city and of the warmth of the Brazilian people, who receive visitors with open arms.

Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru
In the 15th century, the Incan Emperor Pachacútec built a city in the clouds on the mountain known as Machu Picchu ("old mountain"). This extraordinary settlement lies halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River. It was probably abandoned by the Incas because of a smallpox outbreak and, after the Spanish defeated the Incan Empire, the city remained 'lost' for over three centuries. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.

Ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza, Mexico.

Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures - the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners – can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.

Chongqing aims to set record with its unqiue 1000 public toilets

2007-07-09T17:54:00.000+08:00

Chongqing, the southwestern city in China is flushing with news again. Apparently, to work in coherence of their hot and spicy food that makes people roar for water, Chongqing decided to brighten the city with its porcelain palace, featuring an Egyptian facade, with soothing background music and more than 1,000 toilets spread out over 32,290 square feet of space.

That's not all. These toilets are better than our Singapore's public toilet. Why? Its Free of charge! Officials in Chongqing are preparing to submit an application to Guinness World Records to have the four-story, free-of-charge public restroom listed as the world's largest

In an effort to promote its uniqueness, officials said that having such a public ammenities around will cheer up tourists visiting the city. Sure, we all will. After all, its a rare sight to have so many toilets in one place. But what about your environmental control, pest control, smell control? Are you up to the ability to upkeep and keep it clean? Let's cross our fingers and pray for the best.

"We are spreading toilet culture. People can listen to gentle music and watch TV," said Lu Xiaoqing, an official with the Yangrenjie, or "Foreigners Street," tourist area where the bathroom is located. "After they use the bathroom they will be very, very happy."

Some urinals are uniquely shaped, including ones inside open crocodile mouths and several that are topped by the bust of a woman resembling common renderings of the Virgin Mary. Oh my... lol

What's more, I think they also intend to build a supermarket nearby selling toiletries. I think they should build more steamboat around the area too! Eat, drink and merry..and full of +hit.

Hoho.. I guess I like to visit Sichuan soon. After all, they do have good museums there, showing interested green bronze pieces from San-Xing-Dui.

But then, what's with the Full of Shit Theme? o.O

Note: I also like to thank you readers in supporting this blog for the past month. Bad post as choice to thank you all, I know. I faced difficulties in viewing my blog as China blocks lots of information and reading online via their Great Firewall of China. I appreciate your comments and I do hope you guys do not feel neglected for not replying to your comments. Thank you readers!